


It'll Always be You

by DreamerGurl25



Category: The Flash
Genre: Barry is a lovesick puppy, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Lots of Angst, Mysterious Iris, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2018-09-21 06:09:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 85,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9535220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamerGurl25/pseuds/DreamerGurl25
Summary: Barry Allen meets Ms. Iris West for the first time and of course, he can't get her out of his mind.





	1. Who's that Girl?

It was karaoke night at Barry's favorite restaurant in the would, or at least Central City, Jitters. Barry wasn't really sure what the attraction was, the place was kind of a dump to be honest, but it felt like home. He knew his friends over in Starling City could attest to his feelings, to them a greasy burger joint was like a five star restaurant, even more so since his friend Oliver Queen/ The Green Arrow had lost his billionaire status and was now stone-ass broke. In any event, home was home, it was also his first ever karaoke night.

"Hey Bartholomew," his best friend, Cisco called from across the table, "You ready to have your ass musically handed to you tonight?"

"Ew, _dude_... don't call me Bartholomew," Barry protested in a sort of whiny voice, the only person that was ever allowed to call him Bartholomew was his mother, it was sweet when she did it but just plain weird when Cisco did it. Caitlin giggled.

"Cait, are you encouraging this?" He asked in disbelief but broke into a smile two seconds later because any smile that he could pull out of Caitlin Snow was a miracle. She had been through a lot lately, her powers manifesting, her dark side struggling to break free, losing her husband, the girl couldn't catch a break. Still, it was the little things, like karaoke on a Tuesday night, being around the best friends a girl could ever want, and the name Bartholomew.

"Even I have to admit it's kind of funny, Barry," Caitlin added, apologetically.

"Yea, well at least my name's not FRANCISCO!" Barry retorted and sort of yelled the last part, and everyone muffled snickers as Cisco's eyes went wide.

"DUDE!" Cisco said almost immediately and it was somewhere between a shout and a whisper.

"Ohh...can't take what you dish out, huh?

"And, speaking of dishing out..." came a voice on the distance that unmistakably belonged to none other than H.R Wells, "Now, lemme see if I got this right, a mozzarella mudslide for Cisco."

"My man," Cisco stated, shaking his head with pride.

"One extra chilled mimosa for The Ice Princess".

And suddenly everyone went quiet and Barry and Cisco wore an expression on their faces that read 'awkwardddd...' except for Caitlin who only smiled politely and really didn't seem bothered at all.

"Thank you, H.R," she replied simply, gently taking the glass from his hands sand Barry and Cisco both breathed out a sigh of relief.

"And, one triple burger delight and an electric lemonade for the man of the hour, Mr. Barry Allen".

No sooner had H.R began to lift the glass off the platter than he began to lose his balance and threaten to make the biggest and most expensive mess Barry had ever seen in a long while. Before Barry could zoom in and save the day, he regained his balance and smoothly played it off.

"Huh? Huh? I almost had you right?" He boasted while everyone held their heads and hearts.

A"Okay, please be careful before you go around spilling drinks I didn't order," warned Barry, grabbing his mountain of a burger before any more almost accidents happened.

"What... ohhh, oh that's right... the girl, the barista at the counter, the hot one, she said it was on the house".

"They're all pretty hot, man," Cisco stated, "You're gonna have to be a lot more--"

"I know who he's talking about," Barry blurted out distractedly, "Is she still over there, H.R?"

"Uh, she is BUT I'd like to remind you that you do also have a very hot girlfriend who, bless her soul, could not be here tonight, but--"

"Nothing's gonna happen, I'm just gonna go say hi to her, thank her for the drink."

"You know, that's how it starts, one minute you're talking the next minute you're--"

"Okay," Caitlin interrupted uneasily whilst Cisco looked on like a child watching his parents argue in front of him, "Why don't we just change the subject, please? Before H.R says something that we all will never be able to un-hear."

"Alright, alright, alright!" yelled the mc while the audience cheered, seemingly hungry for more terrible singing, "Who wants to be the next victim-- I mean singer?"

Suddenly it was like crickets were chirping. Barry rubbed his neck coyly, Cisco bowed his head so far down that he could have stuck it in the sand, so to speak, Caitlin looked around at the audience nonchalantly and H.R sat sipping his tea, his iced tea, that was.

"No one? Am I gonna have to start calling names up here? I know... how about you, Iris?"

The mc pointed all the way to the back of the room where the spotlight shone on a the most beautiful young woman he had ever seen in his life, and even though it wasn't his first time seeing her, he couldn't help but gaze at her beauty. She was wearing a black mini skirt with a long sleeve v-neck blouse tucked neatly into it, all covered by a black frock and a slightly high heel leather boots. He immediately thinks, for whatever damn reason, about how short she is, even while wearing heels, how much shorter she is than him, how those short, dark, smooth legs would feel wrapped around his waist, around his head, and OKAY. He shook his head and cursed himself and whoever else he could think about in his head for making him think this way about a girl he'd never even met or talked to, for that matter. In fact, forgetting all of that, he had a fucking girlfriend. A girlfriend who was at home waiting up on him because she sick with the flu. He felt like absolute slime for feeling the way he did about some girl and- oh damn- there he was, fucking looking at her again. Her hair was held up in a high messy bun, except for a few loose strands falling in her face and she wore no make up... and she looked like a damn supermodel. Shit. She was so damn gorgeous, but the real seller, the one thing that was driving him all the way crazy was her lips. They were plump and smooth and they were making want things he shouldn't have wanted from any girl, ever.

"No, Dave," she replied smoothly, giving the slightest hint of a smile and FUCK. Her voice was so... seductive. It sounded like melted chocolate or sex, same thing.

"Aw, come on Iris, you know you're a crowd favorite," cooed the mc, winking at her as the whole crowd started cheering and urging her on.

"Iris! Iris! Iris! Iris!" shouted the crowd eagerly, raising their fists in encouragement.

"Iris..." whispered Barry as Dave came down from the stage and started gently easing her to the front, and for some reason Barry wanted to fucking kill him. For what? Touching her? She wasn't his, and Dave, or whatever his fucking stupid name was, was obviously harmless. He still wanted to kill him though.

"Karaoke night is for the guests!" she yelled laughingly above the crowd, to no avail of course, and soon she was up on the stage with the red neon lights hitting her like a damn movie star. The crowd burst into roaring applause as she let her hair down, removed her frock and grabbed the mic from the stand.

"Are you sure this doesn't come out from my paycheck, Dave?" she asked, tilting her head at the mc at the back who he's pretty sure is blushing. What a pussy.

"Sweetheart, I pay you extra for this," he says matter-of-factly, and she smiles. Wide. Brilliant. Sexy. And he wants her. Against his better nature. Against the thought that he has a girlfriend who's at home, probably dying (okay, not really, but anything to convince himself why he needs to get these thoughts out of his head) and is waiting up on him. Shit. Patty. His phone was on silent. Well, she probably didn't try to call him nine times.

"Oh, god."

Barry squeezed his eyes shut, feeling like such shit because she probably thought he was ignoring her. He started frantically dialing her number when he heard Ariana Grande's " _Into You_ " began playing on the sound system. It was on a loop at the beginning so the song itself didn't start till she was ready. Upon hearing the selection, Iris only smiled and ducked her head, fixing a strand of hair behind her ears, and if it's in his imagination or not, Barry has no idea, but he thinks she winks at him? Barry furrows his brow slightly as the lights go down and she begins to sing, forgetting all about his phone and calling Patty back.

_I'm so into you_

_I_ can _barely breathe_

_And all I want to do_

_Is to fall in deep_

Of course she can sing too. And of course it also sounds like sex. Because it has to, right?

_And close ain't close enough_

_Till we draw the line_

_So name a game to play_

_And I'll roll a dice, hey_

And then without any kind of fucking warning, she just starts sexually touching her hair, and her neck, and her arms, and then Barry just feels like he needs to leave.

_Oh, baby look what you started_

_The temperature's rising in here_

_Is this gonna happen_

_Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move_

_Before I make a moveq_

It's then that Barry looks around to see if it's just him that feels really, really hot all of a sudden and then it's only then that he registers that it looks like the whole audience is in some sort of fucking trance or something, all his friends included.

_So baby, come light me up_

_And maybe I'll let you on it_

_A little bit dangerous_

_But baby that's how I want it_

_A little less conversation And a little more touch my body_

_Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you_

Now Barry knows he's not crazy, she's stealing glances at him, small glances, no one is noticing, then again everyone's fucking hypnotized, but she's definitely having intermittent eye sex with him and it's making a little uncomfortable...and a lot hard.

_Got everyone watching us_

_So baby lets keep this secret_

_A little bit scandalous_

_But baby don't let them see it_

_A little less conversation And a little more touch my body_

_Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you_

He doesn't even hear the rest of the song, he just kind of sits there blankly hoping no one asks him to stand up. Before he knows it, the whole crowd goes wild and Iris coyly bows and places the mic back in the stand.

"I'm just the help, seriously," she says politely, and even though no one cares what she's said, it was still a nice gesture. Iris hops off the stage and walks toward Dave the douchebag, who wraps her in an embrace and kisses her cheek and Barry feels like steam is coming out of his ears. Immediately, she quickly dons her frock again and disappears into the back.

"Wow..." remarked Cisco, mouth agape, "That was sort of...."

"Hypnotizing?" Magical?" H.R replied whimsically, waving his straw around Cisco's face like a wand while Cisco stood stock-still with an expression that said, ' _Boy, if you don't get that straw outta my face...'_ and Barry couldn't help but laugh.

"Wait a minute," Caitlin said, turning to look at Barry suspiciously, "Barry, when you asked us to come here tonight you didn't do it because you knew that Iris works a night shift AND sings on karaoke Tuesdays, did you?"

Cisco gasped and held a betrayed look on his face. "You told me you wanted to hear me do Bruno Mars' '24K Magic."

"I did, I--"

"Liar!" Cisco shouted, "I'm legit hurt right now, bro."

"Cisco..." "Uh-uh, I'm not talking to you, traitor." "Cisco..." he coaxed.

"....I think you covering the bill might appease my anger."

Barry sighed. Then he pretended to be upset. He pretended because him covering the bill gave him an excuse to go talk to Iris since she was the one dealing with the checks also.

"Yeah, alright man," he conceded, covering his face with his hands, muffling his voice, "Fair enough... you guys go on ahead, I'll meet you outside."

"Okay," said Caitlin simply, Cisco and H.R following.

"Okay, that was way too easy!" Barry yelled behind them and Cisco waved his hand in a 'shoo fly' motion.

Barry chuckled softly, and slowly made his way past crowds of people to where Iris was wiping down tables. He hesitated. He turned back around. He sat back down. He was scared. He was fucking _scared._ This girl looked like she was sculpted by the gods themselves. She wasn't just any ever she girl. He couldn't just GO and talk to her. He had to--

_Buzz. Buzz._

Barry's iPhone began vibrating in his hand. SHIT. He kept forgetting about Patty. He was probably the worst boyfriend ever.

Wincing, he answered the phone quietly, "Hello?"

 _"Barry?! Jesus, are you okay?!"_ She shouted frantically and yeah, he's the worst boyfriend ever. She's not mad, she's concerned.

"Patty... yea, baby, I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying you like that, you must think I'm such an asshole."

 _"No, babe, I just was so worried about you, I've been calling you all night,"_ she said, sniffling every few seconds.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, my phone was on silent and tonight was just so--"

_"You don't need to apologize, Barry, I'm just glad you're *sniff* okay..."_

"Okay..."

There was a long pause.

 _"Sooo, did you sing tonight,_ you've _got the voice for it, you make me cry so hard when you sing 'Rock-a-bye baby."_

Barry laughed softly,"I could sing a line from anything and you'd cry like a baby."

 _"That's true,"_ she giggled, _"_ _You're *sniff* the best boyfriend ever."_

Oh.

"...Um, so I got stuck footing the bill tonight so I've gotta go handle payment, okay?"

_"Wow, that sucks, what'd you do to deserve that?"_

"Heh, it's a long story, but I'll see you soon, okay?"

 _"Okay, babe *sniff* ... I love you."_ "...Love you, Patty."

Without waiting for a response, he hung up the phone. What a shitty human being he was. What a shitty boyfriend he was. What a--

"Hi," he heard a soft, sultry voice say behind him and he almost fainted. He turned around to face her, Iris. She stood near to him with a waiting tray held against her lower body, even with her heels, she was about his height, and he was sitting down.

"Um... hi," he answered softly, "I... was just about to come over you- uh- come over to you... come OVER to you."

Despite his embarrassing innuendo, she didn't laugh or make any jokes, she only smiled sweetly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, "Looks like I got to you first... anyway I just wanted to come say hello since you're like the last person here... also I really need to clean this table."

Barry laughed. She made a joke. She was amazing.

"Well, I'll get out of you way then, I don't want to keep you back," he said slowly even though he really wanted to take up all her damn time.

"No, stay... all of the other girls are gone and I work the latest on Tuesdays...it gets kind of lonely, I'd appreciate the company, if you're not busy, that is."

"No, I'll stay with you, Iris, for as long as you need me to."

She smiled an innocent smile that had Barry weak in his knees and a little hard in his pants, he'd hoped she hadn't noticed. This was just an innocent gesture of kindness. Protecting and keeping a girl, a fiercely attractive girl, safe. He didn't have friends waiting on him outside or anything.

"So what do you do here in Central City?" she asked conversationally, wiping down the table that Barry and his friends were eating at.

"Um, I am a forensic scientist, yea, I work at the CCPD, I really enjoy it, the mystery, the excitement, but most off all, I like helping people...does that make me sound like a nerd?"

Iris grinned. "It makes you sound passionate, hardly anything nerdy about that."

"You think so?"

"Definitely."

"That's sweet of you to say".

"It's true," she said, plainly, turning her back to face him as she started stacking chairs on top of the tabletops.

"Are you passionate about your job?"

She shrugs. "It pays the bills, that is, it would if I had any, I stay with my dad."

"Cant say I'm surprised," he said, grinning, "Good girl like you."

"How do you know I'm good?" she asks coyly, looking at him over her shoulder, and it's all he can do not to look at her ass, "You don't know me."

"I could, if you let me."

She giggled lightly, and the sound goes straight to his groin. He groaned inwardly.

"Platonically, of course?" She asks and he can't tell if she's being sarcastic or not, so he says-

"Of course...do you need some help with those chairs?"

She smiled. "Who says chivalry is dead? No, but you look pretty right where you are, I've got this."

Why was everything she did and said so attractive?

"You think I'm pretty?"

"You think I'm pretty."

"I do?"

"You wouldn't be sitting here watching me wipe down tables if you didn't."

"I'm keeping you company, like you asked," he reminded her.

She smiles at him suggestively then quickly deflects from the conversation.

"You know, when I was younger I wanted to work in the CCPD, as a cop... my dad never wanted that... he works there as a detective."

Hold the fucking phone.

"Wait... I work side by side with one Detective Joe West, and every single time I see him he's always going on and on about his perfect daughter..."

She starts laughing and looks down at the ground incredulously, shaking her head.

"He uses words like uhh, beautiful, talented, amazing and umm..." he snaps his fingers as if trying to remember something important, "Right, perfect."

"That sounds like daddy," she remarks, sighing, and now it's Barry's turn to laugh.

"So I'm actually standing in the presence of the amazing Iris-"

"West, yea," she finishes his sentence, "The one the only."

He smiles in wonder at her, like she's the most beautiful picture ever painted, he just stares for a while, he figures she's used to it. What are the odds that the man that he works do closely with, the man who's like his second father, was Iris' father? Kinda incestuous? Nah. The feelings he had for her were nothing close to brotherly.

"Oh, shit," he looked at the clock on the wall, Cisco and the others were waiting on him outside, he had been talking to Iris almost 10 minutes now, "I was supposed to catch up with-"

"Your girlfriend? I heard you talking on the phone earlier, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, I just worried her, I wouldn't answer my phone all night and she probably thought I died or something."

"Sounds like she cares a lot about you."

"She does..." he replies slowly, "She really does."

"Barry!" Caitlin called, and she actually sounds pretty angry, "Barry, we have been waiting on you for almost 15 minutes, what could possibly be-"

She stops in her tracks when she finally notices Iris standing next to Barry. She tilts her head quizzically and gives Barry a particularly stern look.

"Cait, I-I was just-"

"He was just keeping me company, this is my fault," she said calmly, wearing an apologetic expression on her face, " I'm always the last one here on Tuesday night it seems, and I convinced Barry to just stay and talk to me a little, I didn't realize I was keeping him away from his friends."

Barry looked at her, then he looked at Caitlin . He felt awkward, and a little scared. There was tension in the room, at least on Caitlin's side, Iris just sort of stood there with this menacingly calm expression on her face, never once breaking eye contact with Caitlin. Finally after what felt like hours, the silence was broken.

"Fine, well then we should really get going, after all you have a girlfriend to get home to, or did you forget?" Caitlin said coldly, and Barry could swear he saw a bit of poison fly out when she spit out those last four words.

She immediately turned on her heels and left, leaving Barry staring warily at her retreating figure.

"You should go," said Iris, and he half expected her to be angry when he turned around but instead she had a rather amused expression on her face, "That girl's no joke, she's also right, your girlfriend needs you, go."

And with that, she turns around and heads back behind the counter, removing her frock as she went and Barry couldn't help but notice the curve and sway of her hips as she walked. He involuntarily licked his lips as he rubbed his head.

"Wait, I still have to pay you," he called behind her as she disappeared out of sight.

 _"Don't worry about it,"_ she replied, only her voice making him aware of her presence.

"What?"

 _"Don't worry about it, Barry,"_ she replied again, and with that she turned the lights out and Barry reluctantly exited the building wondering, 'what the fuck just happened?'.


	2. Days Gone Bye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry is trying to keep his eyes on what's right in front of him, but a new threat might get in the way of that.

The next morning Barry woke up next to Patty, she was fast asleep and all he had the energy to do is try to keep his mind off Iris West. Five years worth of relationship was not worth one beautiful barista. Besides, he was happy with Patty, she was one of the few people who really knew him, but the one part of his life that was the most important, he couldn't tell her about. He couldn't tell her he was the Flash, especially not now seeing as how they were in a relationship five years now, hell, she'd probably leave his ass if he chose to tell her now. She had inklings, sometimes she would do things deliberately, trying to get him to use his powers in front of her. Sometimes it was little things like her dropping a glass of wine on the floor (which somehow, he got blamed for breaking) or her 'accidentally" slipping on a wet floor (that one probably hurt him more than it hurt her), but no matter how much she pushed it Barry knew that all those little things were nothing compared to what could happen to her if he revealed his true identity to her. He loved her. He didn't need to convince himself of that.

"Pat?" He called softly as he rolled over on his side to face her, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ears.

"Hey, you," she replied groggily, giving him a broad smile, "Is it that time already?"

"Actually its past that time, but I couldn't bear to wake you, you looked so peaceful."

She lay her head on his chest and stroked gently with her hands.

"Next time just rip the band-aid off and get it over with, we don't all have super speed, you know."

He furrowed his brow, stopping his ministrations in her to look down at her, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"...Nothing, forget I said anything."

He studied her for a minute. He really wasn't going to tell her. It meant nothing to him that she tried guilt tripping him, yelling at him, begging him or anything else, and he meant that in the most loving way possible. It was for her own good.

He sighed. "We should start getting ready, I've got a few cases I've got to catch up on."

"Okay," she said cautiously, following him to the other side of the room, "Well, do you need any help?"

He contemplated. Shutting her out wasn't going to solve either of their problems, he didn't want her to feel like he was pushing her away.

"I need a lot of help," he replies, closing the space between them to kiss her forehead, both her cheeks and lastly, her lips, "But I only want it from you."

"How crazy is that after 5 years, you still drive me crazy?"

He chuckled. "I can feel your pores raising."

"No need to be smug, Mr. Allen," she laughs, smacking him playfully on the shoulder.

"Just stating a fact, Ms. Spivot." She rolled her eyes.

"So I'll see you for lunch?"

"I'll be waiting."

Barry made it to work in record time. He usually checks in at S.T.A.R Labs before before he went to work just to make sure things were in order but he was so swamped as of late, he decided he'd get in early and get a head start. They could survive the morning without him. He hoped that he'd be so busy today that he wouldn't even have time to think about Iris, but it was like he couldn't help it. He literally had every inch of her, every detail, every curve of her body memorized in his head. Hell, he's already imagined her naked. He felt dirty, and Patty in no way deserved what he was doing to her right now, if she only knew. He had to put Iris out of his head, he had to focus on what was right in front of him. Patty. They had a sweet moment this morning, of course, he sped off right after she left the house. He always waited for her to leave first if they aren't carpooling since he could always get wherever he wanted to go in less than a millisecond. Aside from it being habit, it was also a way to make sure she was safe. As he zoomed in, the breeze from his halt caused a stack of papers which were packed neatly in a dip flying to the ground. He cursed under his breath, then he cursed out loud. How did he always manage to make that same mistake every morning?

"Shit, shit, shit--"

"Allen!" called Captain Singh, making Barry reflexively scatter all the sheets of paper all over again. Barry groaned softly.

"Yes, Captain Singh?"

"Did you just get here?"

"Uhh, yea, yea, about a minute ago... something wrong?"

"No, I uh- just didn't see you in the elevator, just came up myself."

Seriously? Why was everyone all over his dick the is morning?

Right...uhh, I was- I took the stairs, yeah."

"The stairs?" Singh asked suspiciously, because what could be more suspicious than someone using the stairs in one of Central City's tallest buildings?

"Yup..." he answered, popping his lips on the p.

"Didn't know people still used stairs."

"Yeah, well I just had an, uh- feeling to walk."

Singh nodded his head slowly, inspecting him, "You're a strange one, Allen... you know that?"

"I know, sir."

And they both leave it that because it's damn awkward for them to be around each other. One time last year, Barry and the team were fighting a meta that could teleport himself and other people, and as if actually getting teleported wasn't enough, he got teleported to, of all the damn places, his boss' office. He had removed his mask in the fight so he had some serious explaining to do. And though Singh's back was towards him when he teleported in, it only scrapes the edge off the shock of seeing Barry in that suit. Then Barry, because he fucking sucks at improvising, makes up something about being a huge Flash fan and custom making a Flash costume for role-playing and half way into explaining, Barry's thinking he should have just came clean about being the Flash. At the end of it, Singh seemed so taken aback that he didn't even ask how Barry got into his office without him hearing. Needless to say, the conversations between the both of them were extremely limited after that little fiasco.

"Look, I need you and Detective West in my office right now," he said hastily.

"Everything okay?"

"Not here, we'll talk about it in my office."

Something was off, Singh seemed spooked, that almost never happened.

"Joe!" Barry called out to Joe from across the room, beckoning him over to Singh's office.

"Barry, what's going on?" asked Joe, "What's so important that you had to interrupt me skyping with my baby girl?"

And until he mentions it, Barry almost forgot that it's Joe's daughter that he's low key fantasizing about doing things inappropriate to.

"I'm not entirely sure, Captain Singh just said he wanted to see us both in his office, he's trying to be cool, but I think it might be serious."

"Come in," Singh says warily as he shuts the door behind them both. Joe and Barry both look at each other while Singh sat on the edge of his desk, arms folded.

"It was brought to my attention that there were two murders that occurred this morning near Jitters restaurant, around after six or so..."

"What?" Joe asked, eyes opening wide. "Now we don't have any further details than that the victims were both female, middle aged, worked at the restaurant ."

Oh, god. Iris. Barry felt like his legs couldn't hold him anymore. If anything had happened to her...

"My daughter works there!" exclaimed Joe, "Barry, I gotta go, I gotta make sure she's okay, I-- Barry?"

Gone.

"Barry?"

"He was... just here," remarked Singh, pointing at the spot where Barry stood nearly a second ago, "I didn't even see him leave, I just turned my head for a second."

"Never mind, I'll call him, I just gotta get to Jitters right now."

Meanwhile, Barry was already there. He rushed to the scene where the police had already barred off the area where two girls' bodies were. People were congregating, hands covering their mouths in horror, some of them screaming and crying and Barry couldn't hear any of it. All he could hear was the sound of the blood rushing in his ears, his hair stood up on his body, he felt like he couldn't breathe. He had only known her for one night and already, he couldn't imagine a world without Iris West in it. He pushed and shoved his way through the crowd until one of the policemen caught him by the shoulder.

"Hey, this is an active crime scene, you can't be here," the man warned.

Barry was not in the mood to be fucked with.

"I'm a CSI, I'm the guy your boss is waiting on the get this investigation started, you gonna let me through?"

"My apologies, I wasn't aware-"

"Don't let it happen again or I'll take it up with your superior next time."

Asshole.

Barry usually didn't have time to be so petty but he was not of a mind to be civil.

As he got closer to the crime scene, he approached the bodies of one of the two girls covered by white sheets, one was near the door and another was a few blocks down the street. A knot began to form in his throat. Did he really want to know? He had to, he would find out sooner or later.

"Please don't be dead, Iris" he whispered as he slowly lifted the sheet. No, their story couldn't be over yet, not before it even began.

Barry let out a full breath of air he didn't even know he had been holding when he finally saw the girl's face, not Iris.

He looked around at the area, everyone seemed to busy to notice him, not that anyone would be able to see him. He quickly zoomed over to the other body and back, again feeling relieved that Iris wasn't either of those sheets.

"God..." he exhaled.

"I know," remarked one of the coroners who walked back over to the scene, "Whoever did this is a sick son-of-a-bitch... you do the work up?"

"Uh...no, no, I'm waiting on someone, he should be here-"

" _Barry!_  Called Joe from the distance behind him.

Oh, boy. How was he going to explain how he just disappeared this time? He had given Joe so many half-assed excuses already that he wasn't even going to be surprised when Joe stopped believing them.

"Joe, hey, I-"

"Where the hell did you go?!" He exclaimed quietly, however much that was possible.

"I-I can explain-"

"Never mind that, you can lie to me later, I need to go see... Jesus, if she...if Iris..."

"She's okay, Joe, I just inspected the bodies a second ago."

"Oh, thank God!" cried Joe, and then next thing Barry knows, he's sobbing like a little baby on his shoulder and soiling one of his favorite plaid shirts.

"Just... let it out," Barry pats him on back, hopefully this doesn't look too weird.

"Iris must not have come in to work today," he sniffs, but he remained lodged on Barry's shoulder, and if he weren't Iris' father and one of his good friends he might have told him to get a goddamn grip.

"I'm glad she didn't," Barry says distractedly, "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her either."

"I know... wait, what?" Joe raises up to look at Barry accusingly.

"What?" Barry asked, furrowing his brows and feigning confusion.

"What do you mean you don't know what you'd do if something happened to her? How do you even know my baby girl?"

"I- I don't..." Barry lied, but he really was the worst at improvising, "You just, talk about her so much that I feel like I really, really know her, you know?"

"Try again, son," Joe said, calling bullshit immediately.

Barry sighed. "I kinda met Iris last night, at Jitters."

"And you didn't think to tell me this?"

"I didn't really think it was that big a deal, to be honest."

"It isn't, but that 'I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her either' sounded a little too concerned," Joe raised an eyebrow, "Did something happen last night between you two?"

"No, NO." Barry emphasized, how much did Joe think could happen on one night?

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am in a loving, committed relationship with-"

"Detective Spivot, I know... that girl won't stop talking about you all day" Joe says, rolling his eyes.

Damn. Patty was so great to him even though was just pretty much a douchebag as of late.

" _Allen!_ " Captain Singh called, already over at the crime scene.

"Yes, sir."

"Come take a look at this."

"Yes, sir?"

Singh pointed to a wound one of the girls' necks.

"What do you make of it?"

"8 millimeter laceration near the jugular, near, precise... killer really took his time."

Captain Singh let out a heavy sigh and massaged his eyes, "Serial killer?"

"Not necessarily," remarked Barry, walking over to the other body to get a closer look, "Almost all serial killers have an MO, a particular way or style in which they do their killing, they're also really organized, this guy-"

"Or girl," Joe added, and everyone stared, "What? Anything's possible." "This... person, they're clean, but they're not the best."

"What do you mean?" Singh asked.

"Well my guess is, it played out kinda like this: killer meets the two girls leaving the building, grabs one of the girls and cuts her throat, slowly, carefully. While he's doing this, the other girl starts running, he tries catching her, but she's too fast, so before she can make it around the corner, he gets her clean through the stomach with whatever kinda weapon he was using, multiple times, hence the multiple holes in this body."

Do you have any idea what kind of weapon we're dealing with here?" asked Joe.

"Unfortunately, no, there are no signs of anything, at least nothing I can see with my naked eye, we're gonna have to take the bodies back to the lab and get some samples."

"Alright... good work, Allen." Captain Singh tried not to look troubled, but the truth is this kind of crime would worry anyone, especially the captain of the Police Department.

"Thank you, sir," Barry nodded and turned to walk away.

"Hey, Allen..."

"Sir?"

"Where'd you run off to this morning in such a hurry? One minute you were talking with Detective West and I, next minute you're gone."

"Oh, I-"

"He had an adrenaline rush," Joe cut in, and damn, if he wasn't an even worse improviser than him, "He explained it to me this morning, you know these kids these days and their coffee."

Singh raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances between Barry and Joe. "No, I don't- I don't have any kids, but uh, take it easy, huh?"

"Will do, sir." Barry replied eagerly, just happy that Singh decided not to push and further past that weak ass excuse.

"Thank you?" Barry wasn't sure what to say.

"Don't I always have your back?"

Barry smiled and gave Joe a short embrace, "That you do."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go check on Iris, she should be at home if she's not in at work... you want me to give a ride back to work? It's just about lunchtime."

"Nah, I got something I've gotta do, but thanks, Joe, and I hope Iris is okay."

"You and me both, son... you and me both."

With that, Joe drives off more quickly than he's ever seen, at that pace, he should be at home in about 15 minutes. That gave Barry enough time to speed in, check on Iris and leave before Joe even knew what was where. He felt sneaky, and a little creepy, going to his good friend's house to check on his daughter, who he'd probably fuck the living daylights out of, given the chance. Still, he did want to make sure she was okay, he was legitimately concerned.

He was over at Joe's house in no time at all, impatiently knocking on the door. He tried to be patient, he really did, but the rush of seeing Iris again made him all flustered.

_Knock knock._

He tapped his foot impatiently, he picked his fingernails and whatever other way he could find to fidget. Two seconds was enough time for her to come to the door, wasn't it? What was taking her so long?

_Knock knock. Knock knock._

She might not have even been home. He was getting his hopes up.

Barry sighed.

It was probably better this way, seeing Iris again was bound to be trouble. He turned on his heel to leave the doorstep, when-

"Barry?" She called quietly behind him and boy, was he not prepared for her.

She wore a pair of incredibly short denim shorts, shorts that he was very interested in knowing how they looked from behind. On top, she wore a cream tank top which, from the looks of it, was the only thing she was wearing on top there. Her brown hair cascaded down her shoulders.

If this were a cartoon, his eyes would definitely not be in his head right now.

"Iris..." His mouth went dry, suddenly he didn't remember why he was there.

"Oh, god, look at me," she says embarrassedly as she moved her hands to cover herself, and he was, he sure was, "I'm just in the worst condition."

"No, it's fine, really, I'm the one who's invading your privacy."

"Hardly," she smiled, slow and charming and seductive as shit, "Do you... want to come in for a bit? You actually don't look so good."

"I've had a busy morning, that's all."

"All the more reason to come in, maybe I can make you feel better."

Barry didn't mind that offer at all, although his idea of her making him feel better was probably wildly different from hers. He shouldn't.

"I shouldn't... I should really go-"

"Stay."

And she sort of grabs his hand, not hard or anything, but just the fact that she's touching him has Barry through the door in a matter of seconds, it was like he was powerless when it came to her.

"You can sit," she motions to the living room couch and Barry, of course, humbly obeys, "Can I get you anything? I'm making apple pie."

"No, I'm good... thank you."

"Are you sure? My dad says it's the best thing since slice bread," she says, and she looks so hopeful and expectant that Barry says-

"Okay, I'll bite, literally," he complies, grinning.

But Iris' expression is serious, and after a second or so, she gives him a funny look, "That didn't take much prodding."

"What can I say? You're very... convincing."

She snorts, bending over to check the pie in the oven, "Well, in any event, I'm sure you didn't come all the way over here to taste my apple pie."

Was she doing all this shit on purpose, or did everything she said honestly not sound extremely sexual to her ears? He couldn't even repeat that line.

"No, I didn't come here just to- um, have you spoken to Joe- to your father?"

Great, he was stumbling over his words now.

Iris stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him, "Why do you ask? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, Iris, but have you heard what happened? It's all over the news."

She looked worried. He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news but if she was in danger, she deserved to know, and so did he if was going to protect her.

"Iris... there were two murders at Jitters early this morning... two of the baristas."

Now she looks as though she doesn't understand what he's said, she just stands there, stock-still.

Barry slowly stood up from his place on the couch and made to move towards her, careful to make any sudden movements since she clearly seemed to be in shock.

Tears began to well up in her eyes and at first, Barry isn't sure if he should've tried to comfort her but now he can't seem to help it. He continued slowly making his way to her,

"Iris-"

She gasped and sniffed drawing her arms around her tiny waist, backing away from him,

"Um, which- what are their names? The girls who were-"

She couldn't continue and Barry knew it.

"Eliza and-"

"Jessica?" She finished his sentence, tears rolling unbidden down her cheeks.

"Iris, I'm so, so sorry..." he said somberly closing the distance between them.

"No, no. I'm fine," she forced, moving past him to shut off the kitchen timer and then oven, "Seriously I am, Barry, really you don't need to- shit!"

The glass bowl of apple pie fell from her bare hands to shatter on the floor, breaking Barry out of his trance. He hadn't even seen her go for the bowl. He stood up against her and reached for her gently.

"Iris-"

"Don't," she sobbed, weakly swatting his hands away.

"Iris, please let me..." he begged, and she did. She surrendered herself to him, to his embrace, she had no more fight in her as he wrapped his arms around her and let her cry.

"Barry..." she moaned, gripping his shirt and burying her face into his shirt, he could feel the tears soaking through to his bare chest, and ironic enough, she was the second West to soil his shirt today.

"It's alright, shhh..." he cooed, running his hands through her hair, "I'm here."

They remained like that for a few minutes. Never mind the fact that her bare nipples were rubbing against his chest through her barely there tank top, he was just glad that he could comfort her, it seemed she'd finally stopped crying.

Before she could move or say anything, Barry took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes, "Hey, look at me... I promise, I will find whoever is responsible for this and I will stop them."

She sniffed once. Twice.

"How are you going to do that?"

Shit. He almost got carried away.

"I- I work at the CCPD, I'll find a way, I swear."

She smiled, a sad smile, but he could see the hope in her eyes.

"Thank you, Barry," she said softly.

He tipped her chin up to look at her reassuringly, "You never, ever have to thank me, Iris."

"I want to," she said, and it was barely audible.

He felt like he was getting lost in the moment, looking into her eyes, stroking her tear-stained face, he could feel her skin hot against his, her breath on his chin, he had to get out, or he was definitely going to kiss her. And what better warning call than the sound of Joe's car pulling up in the street outside.

"Shit." He reluctantly pulled away from her.

"Is that my dad?" She asked, peeping through the windows, "He's not supposed to be home till later... shit, this really burns."

"He's here to make sure you're okay... are you?"

"I will be," she replied as she gave him a grateful smile which he quickly returned.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to run my hand under some ice cold water and get upstairs before I scar my dad for life, you can get out through the back."

"You seem like you're used to this." Barry laughed.

"Shut up... you know, since we've been talking I don't think you've ever told me your last name."

"It's Allen."

"Barry Allen." She says it with wonder in her voice.

"Sounds nice when you say it."

"It is nice," she assured him, and he smiled so wide he thought his face would stick that way.

" _Go._ " She mouthed the word as she gestured toward the back door.

Barry laughed as she scurried upstairs, giving him a wink as she disappeared.

As soon as she was out of sight he quickly cleaned up the mess Iris had made on the kitchen floor and flew out the back door, just in time for Joe to open the front door.

"That was way too fucking close," he said out loud to himself, and he wasn't just talking about Joe.

No sooner had he stepped out into the street than he got a text from Cisco,  _'S.O.S!'._

So much for them surviving a day without him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the nice comments on the previous chapter, glad you guys like. This story will overall contain scenes, lines and/or storylines from the Flash series although they may be slightly (or a lot) warped, you may notice.  
> Another point to note, I love Westallen but I in no way hate the character of Caitlin Snow or D Panabaker, I think she's a wonderful actress and I really like the character of Caitlin. There will be animosity between them in this story because a little rivalry is fun, lol. I think I'll make them friends later on


	3. Affairs of the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Patty go through a rough patch in their relationship, meanwhile the hunt for Central City's mystery killer is underway.

* * *

* * *

"Okay," Cisco said, "I just sent Barry a text, he should be here in-"  
Whoosh.

Paper went flying everywhere.

"Okay, dude, you do that on purpose!"  
"What's up?" Barry asked, unbothered.  
"We were hoping you could tell us," Caitlin interjected, "We saw what happened this morning on the news... did you find any clues as to what happened?"  
"None yet, I was about to go back to the lab and do some tests before Cisco sent me this message."  
"This whole sitch is kinda creepy, we got no hits on the meta-human alert app and our street cameras that I hacked into just went dead, it's like someone took them out."  
"But the only ones who know about them are the people in this room, right?" Barry questioned, sure enough, the one thing the team knew how to do was keep a secret. In fact, they were so good at it , that no one even realized that they a base of operations for the Flash team that had been active for years now.  
"Right..." Cisco looked suspiciously at everyone in the room, stopping to glare at Barry and raising his eyebrows exaggeratedly.  
"Hey, don't look at me," Barry said, holding his hands up in defense.  
Alright, I'll take that... for now," Cisco stated, hovering over to the other members of the team, "So if you didn't do it, that means someone else..." he stopped at Caitlin, " _did_."  
"Honestly, Cisco, this is ridiculous, don't you think it's more likely that the cameras malfunctioned than that one of us told someone?"  
"Maybe..." Cisco inched his way over to H.R, "Maybe not!"  
"Whoa, Francisco," H.R began, "We're cool, aren't we cool? I am totally down for this team, seriously, like, legit."  
"I have no idea what to say to that." Cisco deadpanned.  
"I think the best thing would be that Barry does his job and tries to get as much information as he can," Caitlin suggests.  
"Best idea I've heard all day," H.R replied, "Do your thing, B.A."  
" _B.A_?" Barry mouthed to Caitlin as she tried stifling a giggle.  
"Well, if you do happen to get any leads before us, please, do share with the class," Cisco implored, obviously still upset about his cameras. It was rare that anyone got the jump on him where his tech was concerned, except maybe Felicity Smoak.  
Barry nodded vehemently, "Whatever happened, we can't let it happen again, it's our job to protect people and because we didn't, two innocent girls are now dead and Iris could have been too."  
"Iris?" Cisco inquired, "Who's Iris?"  
"Uh- wait, did I not tell you guys..."  
"Iris?" Caitlin enunciated, she looked like she was getting mad, again, "The girl from the restaurant?"  
"The super hot one?" H.R asked, raising his hand.  
"Okay, not helping in any way, H.R," Cisco pointed out.  
"Caitlin... this is neither the time nor the place." He stated simply, but firmly.  
"Do mom and Dad need to have a little talk?" H.R asked in a baby voice.  
"No," replied Barry immediately, not once breaking eye contact with Caitlin, "We have more important matters to deal with, and I have to get back to the lab."  
"Barry, we need to-"  
Whoosh.  
"... Talk."  
Cisco and H.R both immediately pretended to be busy doing... something.  
"I'll kill him," Caitlin said simply, nodding, "Yeah, I'll kill him."

  
He would deal with Caitlin later, he was not looking forward to that. Right now though, he had to focus on the case, he wasn't planning on leaving the lab until he got something.  
Needless to say, Barry spent hours assessing lab results,  
running tests and trying to find any explanation for what had happened. This one had him stumped, he hated being in the dark. In addition to the shitload of work he had piled up on his desk, this had now come in the way to throw him off. The only thing keeping him motivated was Iris. For the moment, he had to be a little paranoid and assume that Iris' life might have been in some kind of danger... and he was getting no closer to stopping it.  
"Dammit!" He pounded the desk so hard that he sent his pen flying to the ground.  
"Rough day?" A voice behind him called.  
Barry sighed and ran his hands over his face then through his hair, "Hey, Pat, yeah I guess you could say so."  
"Do you know what I think? She asked, gently massaging his shoulders as he slumped down further into the chair.  
"No, what?" He groaned.  
"I think you need a nap."  
"Oh... yeah, me too."  
"Were you thinking of something else, Mr. Allen?" she laughed.  
Barry chuckled, "You caught me... shit, that feels good."  
"Mmm... I saw the all the news reports, you must be so stressed."  
"Stressed doesn't even begin to cover it, we have no idea if or when this killer might strike again and I've still got squat, it's frustrating."  
"I can only imagine... how long have been at it anyway?"  
"An hour or two, maybe," he said, yawning loudly, "What time is it anyway?"  
"It's about after 5."  
"Whoa, what?" He immediately flew out of his seat, "I can't believe time got away from me like that, I was supposed to hand this analysis report in to Captain Singh an hour ago."  
"Well, you can hand it in now, I'm sure he'll understand... are you sure you didn't forget anything else?" She asked expectantly.  
"I don't think so... like what?"  
"Like lunch... with me?"  
Horrible couldn't even begin to cover how shitty Barry felt right now.  
He forgot to have lunch with his girlfriend. His girlfriend.  
Sure, he had a busy schedule but that was no excuse.  
Patty, I am so-"  
"It's okay, Barry."  
"No, it's not okay. It's not even close to okay, I can't believe I did that."  
"Barry, really, I'm not mad."  
"But you should be," he pleaded as he placed his hands on hers, "You don't deserve this."  
"Well, if you feel that bad about it, you can make it up to me tonight," she says suggestively, pressing her body against his, "Maybe show me some new moves?"  
"What kind of moves?"  
"Any kind you want," she whispered, pressing a passionate kiss to his lips, and fir whatever reason, he felt like he couldn't be without her in that moment. That was how it should be, he shouldn't want anyone else but her, period. Iris be damned. She couldn't take Patty's place, she just couldn't... and maybe, just maybe, if he kept convincing himself of that, she wouldn't.

Barry was spent. He couldn't remember ever putting so much into sex, ever. Of course, he could go again whenever he wanted to, the tiredness only lasted about a few seconds, perks of being a speedster.  
Both he and Patty lay on their backs,  
"Jesus, Barry," Patty panted, "How the hell to you do that? I can't even catch my breath."  
Barry chuckled. He'd be lying if he said appreciate a good ego-stroking, and nobody did that better than Patty.  
"I guess I just have a lot of... stamina?" He guessed. That was probably the best way he could put it without giving himself up, she'd probably find it strange, but it wasn't unheard of.  
"Is that what you're calling it?" She retorted, her breaths returning to normal, "Wow, I really hit the jackpot with you."  
"Stop it, you're making me blush, babe," Barry teased in a playful voice.  
"Barry Allen blushing?" She exaggerated, rolling over to lay on top of his naked body, "I'd pay big money to see that."  
Barry gave her a wide smile that eventually transformed into a frown.  
"Baby, what's wrong?"  
"I just... I can't stop thinking about those murders today, that monster is still out there, whoever they are."  
"Well," she began, rolling her hips above his length, making him groan, "Whoever they are, in sure they're no match for the best forensic scientist in Central City."  
"Sss..."he hissed, as she continued her ministrations, "I think you- ah-put too much faith in me."  
"I don't think so, you are amazing, there's no down playing it..." she cooed, reaching her hand between both their bodies to gently stroke him.  
"Pat..." he warned, "You keep that up, I'm gonna want to go again."  
" _Again_?! Are you crazy? You'll kill me!" She rolled back over to her side of the bed, horrified.  
Barry burst out laughing at that one, and soon they were both laughing. He was sure Iris would want to go again.  
Fuck. He had gone back to thinking about her again. It was like she was imprinted in his brain, even in the most inappropriate of times.  
"Hey, why are you frowning again, mister?" She asked, studying him.  
Barry sighed wearily. "I'm sorry, I guess I've just got a lot on my mind."  
"Anything you want to talk about?"  
Yes. So much. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but of course, he said-  
"No... it'll be fine," he replied, attempting a smile, to which Patty returned a sad one.  
"Hey, what's wrong?"  
"Do you think you'll ever be able to talk to me or is this as far as we're going to get?"  
How did they always end up back here? Him, pushing her away, her, pressing him for the truth and both of them, arguing with each other.  
"Patty, I really don't want to fight right now, please just, drop it."  
"Drop it?" She asked incredulously, bracing herself to a sitting position, "Barry, in your girlfriend, you're my boyfriend and yet, I feel like there's a whole other side of you that I don't know about, and that you're refusing to tell me about."  
"What exactly is it that you feel I'm hiding from you?" Asked Barry, sitting up slowly also, but reminding himself to remain calm.  
"You know exactly what it is, are you really going to insult me like this? I'm not stupid, Barry!" She fumed, and Barry didn't think he'd ever seen her this upset. She had every right to be upset, she was right, he was wrong, but somehow, every single one of his molecules felt as though they were going into overdrive and before he could fathom it, he was raising his voice back at her.  
"I never said you were! You're making yourself look stupid by looking into something that was never, and will never be a possibility!"  
"How can you lie right to my face?" She seethed, and they both have the floor now, literally. They're both standing facing each other, neither one backing down.  
"Why the hell can't you just let this go? What is this obsession that you have with the Flash, huh? I'm NOT him!"  
"Careful, you start saying that enough times and you might actually start believing it," she spits and her words sound and feel like poison. She wasn't going to let this go.  
"Damn it, Patty! Is this what you want to see?! Me, like this?!"  
She recoiled, taking two steps back from him, she was scared of him. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, yet they refused so long as she had any shred of pride left in her. Was this what he had to do to finally put this to rest, behave like a beast?  
"Ever since you've picked up this insane notion that I was the Flash, you've been trying your absolute best to prove it, did you really think I didn't notice? You would do things, crazy things, things that could hurt you, just to prove your theory right. And I let you. I let you slip, I let you fall. I let you do all of these things. So the way I see it, Patty, there are only options here. Either I don't love you, or I'm NOT him... and if I don't love you, Patty, then what the fuck are we doing here?"  
He might as well have given her an ultimatum. Actually, he sort of did.  
She looked broken, she looked confused, they had never had a fight like this before, neither of them were sure what to do now, he sure as hell wasn't.  
"I think..." she began, sniffling but refusing to make eye contact with him, "I think, we should take a break, from each other... just for the night, at least."  
Barry knew all about this, for the night would turn into a day, then days, then weeks then the next thing they both knew, they were both seeing other people. Barry didn't want that, he wanted this to work, this was the best relationship he had ever been in, he couldn't just throw his hands up in the air and let it be, he had to fight for this.  
"I didn't mean to yell, Pat," he replied somberly, but he made no attempt to move on her, because the truth was, space was the best thing for them at the moment, "You just... got me a little worked up."  
"You've gotten worked up before, Bar, and it was nothing like what happened just now... is there something else going on that you're not telling me?"  
That he was kind of, sort of infatuated with another woman, but he couldn't break her heart further.  
"Yeah, you know I think you're right, we should take a little break from each other, just a little one."  
Patty nodded, it wasn't an 'You're right and I understand' nod, it was more like a 'That's what I thought' kind of nod. He might have messed it up good this time, but he knew Patty, and he knew himself, they would get through this.  
"I'll see you... when I see you, I guess," she conceded, drying her eyes and making her way back to her side of the bed. This wasn't how he'd intended the night to go.  
"Yeah," he said simply as he left without a single word. They both had stubborn attitudes that night, one expected the other to surrender, but there was none of that. He had to think things over, re-evaluate this relationship. Not to consider if he still wanted to be with Patty, but re-prioritize, maybe. He had told himself repeatedly that he would never, for the sake of Patty's safety, tell her about him being the Flash, but maybe he couldn't do that and keep his sanity and relationship with her too. He had to think things over, he couldn't do that standing out in the cold of Patty's apartment corridor. There was only one place where he could be alone with his thoughts, and that was S.T.A.R. Labs.  
It was almost midnight when he arrived, it took him no time at all to get there but in that time, so many thoughts were racing through his head. He took some time to work on his speed in the testing room, a few runs on the treadmill here and there, he was really pushing it, getting all his stress out. He was actually starting to feel tired. He could see Patty's face in his head, her tear-soaked face, the fear in her eyes, he ran faster. He could see the faces of the two dead girls from Jitters, their pale corpses, he could see the murders scene play out in his head, he ran even faster. The treadmill began to beep, he didn't hear it, he heard nothing but all the mayhem in his own mind. Then he saw Iris, saw her laying in his arms, but she was lifeless, limp as fresh blood dropped from her slit throat...  
_System error. System error._  
He was blindsided as he lay on the floor after being thrown from the treadmill, which was properly broken now. He didn't pick himself up, he just lay staring up at the roof, breathing heavily, his hands covering his face, he screamed internally.  
"I didn't hear you come in... late night?" the voice coming from the door might've startled him if he didn't know it so well.  
"Caitlin? What are you doing here? It's-"  
"One o'clock in the morning, I'm aware," she gave him a fleeting smile, "Well, when you've gone through as much as I have you'll find that one of the most comforting things is to just bury yourself in your work, sure doesn't feel like there's much else to do."  
Oh, Caitlin. Barry began to dust himself off and pick himself up off the floor.  
"Need some help?" asked Caitlin, softly, "What happened here by the way? You and the treadmill have a falling out?"  
Barry chuckled and accepted her hand, "Not so much me and the treadmill as me and Patty."  
"Ouch. How bad was it?" She asked, wincing.  
"Like, 'Ross and Rachel' bad," he sighed, both of them sitting down at the base of the step at the same time.  
Caitlin gasped. "She said you two needed a break?"  
"A short one, yes, but we all saw how well that turned out for the both of them."  
"They got back together eventually."  
"I don't want eventually," he groaned, kneading his hands through his hair, "But Caitlin, I can't keep having this same argument with her... we're bending and bending and I feel like sooner rather than later, we're going to break."  
"Is this about you not telling her that you're the Flash?"  
"I can't, Caitlin, you know why I can't do that."  
"She's tougher than you think, Barry, I've known Patty for years now, she's one of my really good friends, she can handle it, and there needs to be some sort of trust in your relationship."  
"I don't doubt her strength..."  
"But you're doubting whether you'll be fast enough to save her if something happens."  
"Sometimes I forget how well you know me," he smiled at her.  
"You're transparent to me," she replied, placing a hand on his shoulder, "In the good way."  
"I didn't know there was a good way to be transparent," he laughed.  
"Ronnie was the same way, it's times like these that I forget how much I miss him," her smile faded and she looked back at him with a broken smile.  
"Caitlin, I'm so sorry, I'm here going on about my problems and you're hurting."  
It's okay," she replied dismissively, "I don't mean to be like that, it's just sometimes it's a little overwhelming."  
"I can only imagine," Barry gently massaged her knuckles, they were close enough to be like this without it being weird, "And you still don't have any recollection of your memories as Killer Frost?"  
Caitlin paused. "They're more like repressed memories," she said as she looked down and Barry suspected that it was to hide the tears that were now forming in her eyes, "I can feel the memories in the back of my head but my mind won't pull them out, it's a form of PTSD I suppose."  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.... hit a nerve or anything," Barry whispered, and he truly didn't, he didn't blame Caitlin for wanting to block out those moments in her life, the burden of living with those actions were something no one should have to endure.  
"Barry, the things I did, even though I don't really remember them, I know that they were horrible," she sobbed, "Sometimes I get flashes, or I remember things, like pieces of a puzzle... I don't know how to live with myself, with her."  
Barry hugged her then, she sobbed softly against him, and he could tell it was cathartic, she poured her every emotion out before him, it was a side of her that he rarely saw, she was always so closed up.  
"Listen, Caitlin, if there's one thing I can promise you, it's that things are going to get better, I swear they will."  
It seemed he was just making all kinds of promises he wasn't sure to fulfill, first, he promised Iris he would find the person who murdered her friends, now he was promising Caitlin that her terribly tragic life would get less tragic.  
"Thank you, Barry," she smiled, "I believe you... so, I've been meaning to ask you..."  
"Uh-oh, I think I know where this going," said Barry with a roll of his eyes, "This little moment that we had is over now, isn't it?"  
"This fight that you and Patty had, did it only have to do with you being the Flash, or with you and Iris?"  
"That, didn't even come up," he deadpanned, "Iris has nothing to do with this."  
"But you care for her," she zoomed in on him, and suddenly he felt like he was being interrogated, "I saw you, Barry."  
"Not like that."  
Caitlin raised her hands up in defense, signaling that she was backing off. Any which way, he was going to stay at S.T.A.R. Labs for the night, going back over to Patty's apartment and trying to patch things up with her was a no-no, they both needed more time to work out whatever was going on between them. He couldn't sleep, his mind was going at 100 miles per hour, of course, speed in all things came with the territory of being a speedster.  
"Do you want me to let you get back to it?" She was already making to leave before he could give a ready answer, "I think the treadmill is out of commission though."  
"Yeah, I guess so," he winced, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "Cisco's gonna have a fit when he sees it."  
"I'm sure you'll find something else to do, I think I'm going to head home now."  
"Did I chase you away?" He inquired humorously.  
"Hardly, in fact, I think you just gave me what I needed to finally leave."  
"Yeah, what's that?"  
"The assurance that everything is going to be okay," she smiled, "That goes a long way."  
"Anytime, Caitlin," he couldn't help but smile back, "I'm always here for you, always. Do you need a ride home? Speedster style, of course."  
"I'll pass," she insisted, laughter building up between them both, "I don't want a repeat of what happened the last time."  
"You were drunk, Cait," he stated, matter-of-factly. Caitlin drunk, that was a memory he could never forget, no matter how hard he tried.  
"Even so, I don't think speed travel is my thing."  
"Fair enough," Barry chuckled, "Have a good night, Caitlin, and be safe."  
"I will, don't train too hard."  
"You know I will."  
Caitlin shook her head, smiled widely, and turned on her heels down the hallway.  
Needless to say, Barry overdid himself. Hours and hours passed, he did everything there possibly was to do to push himself harder where his speed was concerned. He had the blood, sweat and tears to show for it, which was really saying something because he never sweat. When he had finally exhausted himself to the brim, he just sat for a while. He was drenched. He had really pushed it. He checked the time, 5:00 A.M... he could just go to work. He could just do the right thing. Get there early, catch up on some work, work on the mystery killer case, he could do it. He didn't want to though. What he wanted to do was check up on Iris. Wanted to see her, was more like it.  
He should have stopped himself, but he already proven to himself time and time again that was failure when it came to restraining himself from her. He immediately locked up the building and left to go to the West residence .

He was there in no time at all, super speed was so convenient. Less money for gas. He only ever used a car when it was absolutely necessary, meaning, when he was around someone who didn't know about his secret identity.  
Now, as much as he wanted to see Iris, he had to remember that this was Joe West's house. Joe would probably skin him alive if he saw him going up to his daughter's room at 5 in the morning, good friends as they were. Then again, Joe's car was nowhere to be seen. Still, He had to be sneaky, Joe could have been setting a trap for him. He was being paranoid. Iris' room was upstairs, he knew that. He got a bright idea. He would go old-school. He found a few pebbles laying on the ground and began throwing, not too hard, at the bedroom. He smiled mischievously as he did, imagining her reaction when she saw him.  
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair," he teased, not loudly, but loud enough for her ears alone. He was giggling like a little pre-schooler, only Iris could make him feel this way, that was what he decided. With Patty, he was happy, but there was something about Iris. Something he couldn't quite place. She was like a tornado as she passed through his life, destructive, but so fiercely beautiful.  
He was running out of pebbles, no answer.  
Idiot. She was probably still asleep. He sighed giddily, just the thought of seeing her alone had him feeling high. He didn't even care if she didn't come out. He smiled to himself, shaking his head as he made to walk away, his hands in his pockets.  
"Barry," her voice rang out clearly in his head, and she turned to see her head sticking out of window. Even from the distance, and just her head in view, she looked absolutely beautiful.  
"How come you always have me waiting?" He folded his arms in mock frustration.  
"What are you doing here, you crazy white boy?" She giggled.  
"Looking for you... that make me crazy?"  
"At 5 o'clock in the morning, a little, yea," she was joking, but it was really all banter, something they did, "And the pebbles? A bit much, don't you think?"  
He chuckled. "I have a flair for the dramatic, Miss West, what can I say?"  
"I'll say, you're lucky my dad's not here, I don't think he takes as kindly to stalkers as I do."  
"Stalker?" He thumps his hand on his chest, feigning hurt, "You wound me."  
"You'll live, I think."  
"I might if you let me come up for a bit... can I?"  
"I'm... not sure that's such a good idea," she furrowed her brows, her expression changing.  
"Why not?"  
"You know why not."  
"So, I can't come up?"  
"Um, I-" she scoffed, seemingly defeated, while he stared at her expectantly, she knew he was doing it on purpose to make her feel guilty, "the front door is open."  
"Be right up," he called, and he really was right up, he used his speed, instead of walking up the stairs like a normal, calm person, stopping to stand right in front of her as she turned in his direction.  
"Whoa! My god," she almost bumped into him, "How did you get up here so fast?" She seemed more fascinated than startled.  
"I'm quicker than most, I guess," he shrugged indifferently, he didn't feel the need to justify himself around her, for some reason.  
"Understatement..." her voice trailed off, it was only then he realized that he had a grip on both her arms, his grip was strong, protective, she didn't try to get away, however, if anything, she was leaning into his grasp.  
He frowned. "Sorry, I- sorry."  
"It's alright," she assured him, "So what are you doing around these parts?"  
"It's... a fairly long, complicated story."  
"I've got a time, since the incident at Jitters, I'm out of a job for a bit, it seems, we can talk," she smiled, moving to sit at the edge of the bed and pat the spot beside her.  
"I wouldn't want to bore you," he insisted, she was insistent too, in her own way.  
"I don't think you could ever bore me, Barry."  
A part of him wanted to talk to her, like he talked to Caitlin, but he couldn't for the same reason he couldn't talk to Patty, he had to protect her.  
"No, I- I can't stay, really, I just wanted to check up on you... how are you doing, Iris?"  
She sighed, long and heavy. "Well, I'm trying to be okay, trying not to be upset, or scared. I spoke to Eliza's mom, she was pretty broken up, she doesn't understand...how this could have happened, I don't either. Jessica was living with her college roommate, both her parents died some years ago, I think they're considering having a joint funeral for them both. I think it's a good idea, they were really close... all three of us were really close."  
"I'm sorry, Iris," he started rubbing her back as he took the seat next to her on the bed, "I'm sure this must be so hard for you."  
"I get death, you know? I just... don't get what the killer's motives were, those girls could do no wrong, they were harmless, why them? Was it random? Selective? Will it continue? I feel like I need answers."  
"What I think you need, is closure."  
"I don't have PTSD or something, if that's what you're thinking," her tone changed a bit, so did her body language.  
"I didn't say you did, but two of your good friends were just murdered, it's understandable that you might be a little-"  
"Look, the way I see it, I have two options: sit at home and bitch, or go out and do something about this."  
Okay, now she was talking crazy. She was going to get herself killed talking like that.  
"Okay, let's slow down now, Iris," he said, trying to appease her, "This kind of thing is what the police are here for, your dad, me, I told you I would take care of this, didn't I? I told you that."  
"And I believe you, but when is that going to be?" She stood up then, "A month, two months from now? This sicko is still out there, and he or she is going to do it again, I don't want to wait for that, not when I could be out there doing something."  
"Doing something, Iris, that's going to get you killed."  
"Well, I've survived this far, not a scratch on me," she retorted and immediately regretted it.  
"What?" He stood up slowly.  
"Um... nothing forget I-"  
"Iris," he answered her firmly. She gave him her full attention. Something about the way he said her name was intimidating and authoritative, leaving her with no choice but to obey him.  
She bowed her head, twiddling her fingers together as if trying to figure out how tell him what she had to tell him.  
"Iris, ever since the day that I met you, you have just been like this conundrum that I just cannot figure out... now no more games, tell me what is going on with you."  
She avoided his gaze for a long while, still refusing to answer him.  
He grabbed her chin, gently, but authoritatively, forcing her to look at him, " _Now_ , Iris."  
She was uncomfortable, he could see it. If he didn't force her she wouldn't say anything.  
Without any indication she began untying the knot on her brown overcoat that he didn't even notice she was wearing, which meant that he was really distracted since he could never take his eyes off of her.  
He spun to the side around instantly, shielding his peripheral vision, "Whoa, um, Iris-"  
"Oh, relax," she groaned, exasperatedly, "Look."  
Then, he really took her in, all of her. She wore a black, short, tight leather skirt that left nothing to any kind of imagination, a leather top that left almost all of her stomach outside and had lace part that left her cleavage exposed. On her feet, she wore a pair of black, suede six inch heels (he wondered how she suddenly got so tall), and her hair was pulled to one side, freely cascading down her shoulder. He also just noticed that she was wearing a shit ton of make up, he was really distracted.  
"Wow..." he remarked, and she raised her eyebrows, as if expecting him to say something else.  
"Oh, wow..." he was lost for all other words that weren't 'oh' and 'wow'.  
"Quite the conversationalist, aren't we?" She deadpanned, resting her hands on her hips.  
He was starting to get hard. He couldn't help it and he couldn't hide it, but he could try.  
"Um, sorry, I actually just- can you excuse me for like, one minute?" He was turning red. This was very, very bad.  
"Okay, Barry? We're friends, okay? You don't have to hide your hard on from me, it's totally fine."  
Seriously? What was happening here?  
Boundaries, clear boundaries were being crossed.  
"I don't think we're those kind of friends," he covered his lower area and backed away from her slowly, "Why are you dressed like that anyway?"  
"I was... undercover."  
"Under...cover?"  
"Yes, I heard about a drug ring that's been operating somewhere deep in the heart of the city, real underground stuff, so... I did what I had to to get myself in there, dig up whatever information I could, hence the outfit."  
"Iris, what the fuck were you thinking?" He asked it with disbelief in his voice, disbelief that she could ever do something this reckless.  
"Don't swear at me, Barry, I know what I'm doing, I'm not amateur."  
"No, I guess not, because apparently you've been pulling this shit for a while now!"  
"Who else is going to do it, huh?! No, wait- don't tell me- the police. The police don't have a handle on this, Barry!" She practically screamed at him, but it wasn't out of anger, no, it was something else. Frustration? Trepidation? He could almost place it in the way her nostrils flared, the anguished look in her eyes, her body language.  
"Iris, this... not everything that happens in the world is your fault," he should take his own advice sometimes, "And what happened to those girls was not your fault."  
Remorse. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to cry, she was strong, Barry knew that much.  
"If I was there, maybe... I don't know, just maybe I could have helped them. I want to help people, Barry. Like you."  
Barry froze. He looked at her cautiously, and she looked at him quizzically.  
"I'm sorry for bursting out like that, I don't mean to downplay what the police do for this city, you guys are our heroes."  
Phew. He almost forgot he was on the police force for a second.  
"I just, I want to help and doing what I'm doing, I know it's a bit dangerous, but I feel like I'm making a real difference. You know, for a while now, I've been contemplating sending in my resume to the CCPN, I think I'm gonna go for it."  
"Resume for what? A job as a reporter?"  
She rose then dropped her shoulders like she couldn't believe it either, "I love it, Barry. There's no feeling like it, the rush, the feeling that I'm doing something that actually matters, it's what I want."  
He gave her a smile, she was passionate about this, and he wanted to be happy for her, he did, but he at least had to tell her how he felt.  
"Do you want to know what I want?" He replied simply, walking over to her and she shook her head in response, "I want you to be happy, really, truly, happy, I also want you to be safe... I can't stop you from doing what you're doing, but I can ask you- no, _beg you,_ please, be careful... I don't know what I would do if something happened to you, Iris."  
He was dipping his toes in the deep end of the water again, he could feel it already, some sort of energy between them, electricity, maybe.  
Iris smiled as she reached her hand to stroke his cheek, he sighed then, closing his eyes and leaning into her touch, "For you, I will be, I promise you that."  
His eyes remained closed, she'd finished speaking and he felt as though he was lost at sea. A single touch from her, in a non-sexual way, and he was already gone to the world. Then he felt it, it was light, soft, barely there, a peck, she kissed him on the cheek, and Barry was about ready to lose it.  
He moaned lightly, as he lifted his heavy eyelids, his eyes cloaked with satisfaction and something else that he'd hoped she couldn't recognize, "Are you sure I can't talk you out of this?"  
"Not a chance, Barry Allen," she smirked, "You're charming, but you're not that charming."  
He gave her a lopsided, goofy smile as he checked the time on his wristwatch, "I should get going, I've been here long enough."  
"Bit early to go in for work, isn't it?"  
"Backlog at work, time just always seems to get away from me, I suppose."  
"Fast guy like you?"  
He smirked, "Not fast enough, it seems."  
"Mmm, I see... hey, Barry?"  
"Yes, Iris?"  
"I don't know if I need to ask this favor of you but... could you not tell my dad about this?" Barry raised an eyebrow, "Its just, I know you guys are kinda close and I also know he'd have a heart attack if he ever found out."  
" I think he'd have several," Barry laughed uneasily, "How did you manage to hide it from him all this time anyway?"  
She chuckled, "I'm skillful like that... I've lied to him way more times than I'd like to admit, sometimes he Skypes me when I'm out doing my investigating, but you'd be amazed how many times the 'I can't video call you, wi-fi signal not strong enough' excuse works on him."  
"He trusts you," Barry remarked, and she looked guilty as hell, "You're shattering that trust by lying to him, and sooner or later, Iris, this is going to catch up with you."  
"I know," she conceded, " but in the meantime, I'll do what I have to."  
She was hellbent, there was no stopping a woman with that kind of righteous fury.  
"Don't let me keep you back any longer, you've got a lot to do."  
"That I do, I'll see you around, Iris."  
"And I you, Barry."  
He felt a sense of impending doom walking away from her, like this might be the last time he ever did it. He wasn't going to let her continue this, he told her he would to appease her, but he was entirely too protective of her. If he couldn't make her see reason, maybe someone else could.  
"Barry?" She called out behind him, her voice was small, shy, even.  
"Yes, Iris?"  
"Thank you... for not stopping me, and for checking up on me."  
"What did I tell you about thanking me, Iris?"  
"Nothing I plan on listening to," she teased, and with a few exchanged smiles, Barry left. It wasn't like the last 2 times he left her, this time he left without truly knowing if there was a chance he wouldn't see her again.  
He exhaled. Loud. Out in the street in the twilight, it was only him and the flickering streetlights which were slowly turning off one by one. He took a moment to sit in the pavement right next to the Wests' driveway. What had he gotten himself into? He was in neck deep with this girl, so much so that he was even considering stalking her every move just to keep her safe. That, in itself, was crazy, yet he couldn't help himself... Iris West had him wrapped around all ten of her fingers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Pomp and Circumstances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Patty are back and better than ever, but the events at the Central City Gala brings a new revelation and perhaps, some personal revelations as well?

Barry had just come back from defeating the Trickster, yet again. The villains in Central City never seemed to want to stay down, or stay in jail. As many times as they escaped was as many times as he had to stop them, it was in his job spec.   
"YES! that's what I'm talking about!" Cisco yelled proudly, slapping Barry on the back, and ouch.   
"Hey, careful," Barry laughed, "I may be a superhero but I can still feel pain. I'm exhausted, I need calories, stat."  
"You can have all the calories you want, Barry, that was amazing," Caitlin always knew just what to say, she was the support system on Team Flash.   
"Thanks, Cait," Barry removed his hood to flash a grin at her, taking a seat behind the desk of Cisco's computer systems, "No matter how many times I fight that guy he always has new tricks up his sleeve, I mean, exploding rubber chickens?"  
"I happen to think he's quite the artist," H.R. entered the room with a cup of scalding coffee, "One of those geniuses who are just misunderstood."  
"If by genius you mean total psychopath," Cisco replied, giving H.R. a funny look, "Anyway, figures you'd think so."  
"And just what is that supposed to mean, Francisco?"  
"I rather not say, I'm trying to work on my attitude with you and commenting is gonna set me back like, 2 months."  
Barry and Caitlin stifled laughs while H.R. just smiled and let Cisco's crack slide right off his shoulders as apparently, he was incapable of doing otherwise.   
"Look, I hate to break up you guys' little banter session but, can someone actually get me those calories I asked for? I feel like I'm about to pass out," Barry earned concerned looks from Cisco and Caitlin while H.R. extended his hand offering him some coffee.   
"Calories not caffeine," Cisco gently swatted his hand away, "Barry doesn't want to get high on whatever it is you put in that coffee."  
"There is nothing in this coffee besides coffee, what are you implying?"  
"Didn't we have this same conversation like 5 seconds ago?"  
"Yes, we did, so this time if you have something to say to me, Francisco, go on, I can take it."  
"Okay, fine-"  
"Guys, room spinning, vision going dark," Barry held his head, squinting his eyes and motioning towards Caitlin.  
"I'll get you a sandwich I got this morning from Jitters but, are you sure you're okay?" Caitlin began feeling his forehead for a fever," You've never gotten these symptoms before."  
"I'm fine, I just really pushed it today, I think."  
"Well, now that you mention it, I took a look at your readings today, and your speed was the the highest it's ever been."  
"Remind me to be excited about that later."  
Caitlin nodded and exited the room hurriedly.  
Buzz.  
Barry pulled out his cellphone so fast he almost dropped it.

_Bar, I'm almost at Jitters, can't wait to see you. xx Patty_

Barry smiled at the text and used his speed to quickly reply to her (literal speed texting).

_Can't wait to see you either, I'll be there in less than a minute xo_

"I'm back, don't die just yet," Caitlin announced as she handed him the sandwich which he hungrily devoured.   
Barry sighed, letting out a belch. "You saved my life, Caitlin, seriously."  
"Happy I could help."  
"Now I gotta go meet Patty for lunch, I'll be starving again by the time I get there."  
"I'm happy you two are doing well," Caitlin gushed, and he could tell she genuinely meant that.  
"I am too, thank you so much for all your help, I'll catch up with you guys later, I have to meet Patty in about..." Barry glanced the time on his iPhone," .00001 seconds."  
"Oh, you're early," Cisco casually replied, waving his hands in a dismissive fashion.  
Everyone laughed as Barry sped off leaving a gust of wind in his wake.

It had been a week and a half since he and Patty had their big fight and since then, it seemed like things were back to normal, in fact, they were even better than normal, he partially had Caitlin to thank for that. She literally sat the both of them down and talked to them like the little children they were behaving like. It took two hours, a lot of tears (all of them from Patty) and some yelling (all of it from Caitlin) but they finally resolved it. Barry just kind of sat there awkwardly the entire time since both he and Caitlin were basically just lying straight to Patty's face like it was nothing. But he honestly couldn't have done it without Caitlin, usually he wouldn't have been keen on having a third party in his relationship, but Caitlin was an exception. As for Iris, he hadn't seen her since they last talked at her house the morning after Patty and his fight. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He saw her almost everyday since he was basically stalking her every day, it was way of getting his daily fix and he was keeping an eye on her as he promised himself. Whenever she ran off to do her so called 'undercover work' he followed her, without her knowledge, of course. He got to see her in her element, see her interact with people, criminals, lowlifes, thugs, you name it. She could definitely hold her own, that didn't mean he was going to leave her alone though. Many times, she didn't really need his help, there were few situations where he had to step in and help her and she wasn't even aware of it, she probably thought she was quite the badass. But he couldn't keep doing what he was doing though, he had an idea, and he was sure she wouldn't like it. But he would forget about that right now, he had a lunch date.   
He could see Patty through the glass, sitting patiently waiting for him, she was looking at something on her phone and giggling. Barry smiled, running his hand a few times through his hair trying and failing to neaten it. He halted, sped away and back to the same spot before anyone could even blink. He held a fresh, red rose in his hand as he entered through the doors. Patty saw him from a distance and she smiled so wide, he thought her mouth would cramp up.   
"There's that beautiful smile," he teased as he handed her the rose, she inhaled deeply as she brought it to her nose then let out a contented smile.  
"You did not have to do this, Barry," she clutched the rose to her chest and held onto it like a crucifix.  
"Would you rather I took it back or-"  
"No way!"  
Barry laughed as she covered her mouth with her hand, embarrassed at her outburst.  
"I'm glad you like it."  
"I love it, Barry... I love you."  
The two shared a chaste kiss, the place wasn't really crowded so they didn't need to be conscious. Even though Jitters had opened back after the two murders, business definitely hadn't been at its best. Still, the place was doing fairly okay, and karaoke night was still a big hit.   
" _Aww, so cute,_ " a bubbly voice remarked from behind them and Barry couldn't believe his shitty luck right now.   
Iris wasn't supposed to be here now, it was lunch time, her shift wasn't till later.   
Patty blushed fiercely while Barry didn't know how to act, this was so awkward and Patty didn't even know it.  
"Seriously, you guys- do it again!"  
"I would, but I think my boyfriend would actually die," Patty said, and she and Iris laughed and giggled like they were the best of friends while Barry just wanted to crawl into a hole. How was Iris being so... normal?  
Iris looked Barry straight in the eye, just for a second, Patty didn't even have time to notice, "Anyway, I've fraternized long enough, can I take you guys' order?"  
"Thanks! I will have... the regular blt, hold the l and the t-"  
"So basically a b," Iris joked while Barry forced a smile.  
"Basically," Patty laughed, "and Barry will have the..."  
"Um, I'll have the triple burger, 2 large sides of fries and a side of nachos, please."  
Iris and Patty both exchanged looks of unbelief.  
"Jesus," Iris laughed softly, "Are-are you sure don't want a Diet Coke to go with that?"  
"I honestly do not know where he puts it all," Patty remarked as Iris gave a polite smile and left to prepare their order.   
"So..." she began, reaching out to hold his hand in hers, "the big gala is tonight..."  
"Gala...?" Barry looked bewildered.  
"Do not tell me you forgot, Barry Allen."  
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he laughed, he really kind of did forget though, "I could never forget, you've been looking forward to it for weeks."  
Truth be told, he wasn't that excited. Ever since the first murder by Central City's mystery killer, there had been at least one murder every day, granted they mostly happened at the crime hotspots in the city but still. Citizens were living in fear, the city was one murder away from being in a panic, something felt a little wrong about throwing a gala, given the timing.   
"I know! But I think I'll need you to help me choose an outfit, I am so torn on what to wear, I was even thinking about getting a dress last minute."  
"Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll look absolutely gorgeous."  
"You are such a flatterer." She blushed.  
"No, you're just an easy blusher," he joked and she playfully smacked him on the arm, "But we are running a tight ship right now so I'd prefer it if you could look absolutely gorgeous in something you already own?"  
"I can absolutely do that."  
"Thank you," he mouthed.  
"Ooh, are you guys talking about the gala?" Iris beamed as she lay out the mountain of food in front of them, "Please tell me you guys are going, so I can see you."  
"Okay, first, that was really, really quick," Patty remarked in amazement, and Iris did a quick curtsy, "and second, yea, we will be there, you're going to be there too?"  
"Yes, I will," she smiled, wide and brilliant, "My dad is supposed to be getting a medal from the Police Force for outstanding service in the department so naturally, he wants me there so he can rub the medal in my face after."  
As much as Barry was trying to be serious, he had to laugh at that one, "Yea, that sounds like your dad... so we'll see you there."  
"Wait, wait," Patty halted, causing Barry and Iris to halt too, "You're... Detective Joe West's daughter? You two know each other?"  
"I wouldn't really say we know each other, we met briefly one night, right here," Iris said, "but he and my dad are the ones who are good friends."  
"Yea, I know," Patty laughed, but it wasn't her usual carefree laugh, it was uneasy, Iris probably didn't notice, but he knew Patty, "Wow, small world.  
There was a bit of awkward silence.   
"Well, I'll leave you guys to it then, enjoy," Iris turned on her heels and left them with a smile, and Patty watched her with a strange look.  
"Is everything okay, Pat?" Barry inquired, she didn't even hear him, she was still staring at Iris.  
"Pat?" He raised his voice a little.  
"Hmm?"   
"I asked you if everything was okay..."  
"Yeah, it's fine... she's really pretty, huh?"   
The way she sad it sounded a bit sad, like she knew she would never be able to compete with that.  
"I didn't even notice, too busy looking at you."  
Patty offered her best smile, it would almost be believable if he didn't know her so well.  
"Do you wanna take this stuff to go?" He asked, maybe leaving would lift her spirits a bit, and they could go home early since the gala was in a few hours.  
"Yeah, I'd like that," she looked a bit more at ease now.  
"Okay," he replied softly, "Let me just go pay for this and I'll meet you outside, okay?"  
She nodded promptly and left with her bag to wait outside.   
"Hey," Barry came up to the counter where Iris was counting some money in the cash register, "How come you're working now? Thought your shift wasn't till later."  
"I asked Dave if he could move my shift up, seeing as the gala is tonight and all. He even offered me the entire day off without having to work back my shift but you know me, Miss Employee of the Month."  
Dave. He almost forgot about that guy.   
"Nice of him," he said casually.  
She scoffed. "You'd be surprised the things you can get away with when you have a pretty face."  
And a perfect shape, and killer legs, and a gorgeous ass. He didn't say that out loud though.  
"Well, anyway, I look forward to seeing you and you girlfriend tonight, I like her," she beamed.  
Yeah, about that.   
"She likes you too," he replied, handing her the money.  
Iris smiled brightly, "See you guys tonight."  
Her smile made him smile, "See you tonight, Iris."

Pomp. That was the only word to describe the gala. The Police Force had really gone all out with this one. He and Patty were arm in arm as they entered into the grand hall. Everyone was dressed so spectacularly that he felt underdressed, even though he was wearing his best tux. He wasn't the biggest fan of suede but he wore it for Patty.  
"Do you feel a little underdressed or is that just me?" He whispered to Patty, who only rolled her eyes.   
"You look fine, Barry."  
Patty was wearing a long, sequined gold dress with matching gold shoes, the heels were moderate since she was nearly as tall as him even without heels. Her hair fell loose down her shoulders in curls and she wore a nude lipstick color to compliment her attire. She wasn't underdressed.   
Barry saw Joe talking with Captain Singh and some other officers he couldn't recognize, they seemed to be having a good time, it looked like Joe was telling a joke and the others were pretending to laugh. Barry didn't bother to scan the room for Iris because she always stood out, when she entered the room, he would definitely know. Also, Patty had his arm in a gridlock, he couldn't get away if he wanted to.   
"Allen, good to see you," Captain Singh had already spotted him from a mile away, Joe following behind him, "and of course, your lovely lady."  
"Nice to see you too, Captain," Patty smiled courteously as Captain Singh gave her a peck on the hand, "Ever the gentleman... Detective West."  
"Detective Spivot, almost didn't recognize you in a dress," Joe joked, and everyone cracked up, all in good fun. Patty was more of the tomboy type, but when she did wear a dress, she was a vision.  
" _I agree with Detective West, you clean up extremely nice,_ " remarked a distant, sultry voice he could never mistake.  
Enter Iris West.  
As soon as she entered the circle, everyone just took a step back, like reflex. She was that stunning. He didn't know where to begin, head or toes?  
She wore a pair of shiny black shoes (which he could only see the heel of), a long, simple but fitted black dress that hugged her in all the right places with a plunging neckline showing off a lot of her cleavage. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, slightly curled, some falling neatly in front of her face. Her lips were painted with a light shade of red that only made them look more kissable than usual. She took his breath away, he was sure Patty could see him gawking but he couldn't stop it, it probably helped that everyone else was too, that way it didn't look so bad.   
"Miss West," Captain Singh was the first to break the silence, "You just shut down the entire show."  
Iris laughed politely, "And here I was thinking I'd be underdressed."  
So it wasn't just him.  
"Quite the contrary, you look sharp, you might just steal the spotlight from your father here."  
"Oh, no... I'd never want that, tonight, I am my dad's biggest fan."  
Joe made his way to his daughter to envelope her in a tight hug, "You always are, baby-girl."  
The entire circle gave a collective 'aww' as Iris hid her face and Joe joined them in making fun of her.  
"Can I have everyone's attention, please?"  
the host for the evening announced, he was a middle aged, short man with a really bad toupee who Barry recognized as the Deputy Chief of the department. He only really caught glimpses of him since apparently, he was a very busy man, especially so these days what with all the crime in the city.  
"We will be presenting our medal of outstanding service to our very own Detective Joe West very soon, but until then, drink, grab a guy, or a girl, and enjoy yourselves."  
"You heard the man," Joe said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go grab my daughter before someone else does."  
Smart move. He couldn't think of a man or woman that wouldn't want Iris, especially the way she looked tonight.  
"And _I,_ " Patty held him by the waist and pulled him close, "Am gonna grab you, Mr. Allen, I've got to hold on tight to you."  
"What do mean by that?" He inquired as they began to waltz to a slow instrumental piece.  
"Just a comment," she shrugged.  
"Are you sure? Because ever since this afternoon you've been acting a bit... strange."  
She tightened her grip on his hand and shoulder as she swallowed tightly.   
"Please, tell me what this is about."  
"Doesn't feel good to be in the dark, does it?"  
Barry furrowed his brows, twirling her out then back into him.  
"I'm not trying to start anything, Bar, I just-"  
She ended off with a heavy sigh.   
"Forget I said anything, let's just enjoy tonight, please?"  
"Okay," he whispered, "Anything you want."  
And that's exactly what Barry should have been doing, enjoying the night, but it was hard when Iris was across the room looking like she was. He had to focus, maybe if he just didn't look at her, he would forget she was even there, out of sight, out of mind. Bullshit. He was drawn to her like a moth to a fucking flame, and he hated it. Meanwhile, Joe and Iris were on the dance floor being the actual definition of father-daughter goals. They were having so much fun that the entire room starting paying attention to them, giving them the floor. Iris laughed uncontrollably as Joe spun her across the floor where she continued twirling, completely in control, he might add, until she inadvertently landed right into his arms, because fuck his life.  
Why him? Not that he didn't want to dance with her, but not in front of Patty and Joe. Joe didn't seem to mind though, he had the dopiest grin on his face as he looked on at them while Patty had her arms wrapped around herself, trying to be supportive as she gave him a weak thumbs up.  
He frowned. He knew Patty would prefer that he didn't dance with Iris but he couldn't just blow her off in front of all these people, that would be embarrassing and Joe would probably shoot him. He made the mistake of looking into her eyes as he held her. Yup. He was fucked. Those doe eyes were his undoing. Her eyes were expectant, but sensual in nature. He took her right hand in his and slid his hands down as far down her bare back as he felt comfortable doing with Joe and Patty standing right there and slowly began moving with her.   
"Your heart is racing," she whispered, letting him take lead.  
"Did you do that on purpose?" It was a straightforward question, he was being serious because she was obviously amused.   
She snorted lightly, "I couldn't do that on purpose if I tried, complete coincidence, although I probably should mention I've had a few to drink."  
"You're drunk?"  
"Slightly intoxicated. My judgement is in no way impaired, Mr. Allen... don't ask me to stand on one foot, though." She purred.  
"You are aware that that is my girlfriend standing over there watching us dance, right?" And he didn't mean them to but his words sort of come out between gritted teeth, but he was aware to keep his voice low.  
"You know, I think I recall meeting her earlier today, nice girl." She was nonchalant, casual, meanwhile Barry felt like he would probably die.  
"This isn't funny, Iris."  
"If I thought it was funny, I would have laughed."  
"You don't need to laugh, you tone says it all- think fast..."  
Without warning, he dipped her low enough to the ground that the audience gasped then began murmuring in awe.  
Iris giggled as he brought her back up against him, it was a naughty, sensual sound, at least to his ears.  
"Liked that, did you?"  
"I liked it some, you never cease to surprise me... now if only you were as full of surprises as you are full of shit."  
"Excuse me?" His grip on her back tightened, it wasn't noticeable to everyone looking on but Iris gave a slight groan.  
"You put up a front around your girlfriend, every time I'm around, I must say, I find it a bit endearing."  
He chuckled darkly, his voice was low and chilling.  
"Look," he began as he pulled her close to him, crushing, even. They were flush against each other. He could feel every inch of her body against every inch of his, he could feel everything and so could she, "Things have changed since we last talked, this is not something that I am into anymore, we can be friends, we can talk but whatever there was between us, it ends when this song does."  
"Mmm... I can respect that," she raised herself slightly so that her lips ghosted against the edge of his ear as she whispered, "You should probably raise your hand a little higher though, wouldn't want to give everyone the wrong impression."   
He hadn't even noticed that his hand was flat on her ass, he was even giving it a slight grab. He didn't even bother to pull away because who wouldn't have already seen that? The crowd burst into applause, well, as loud as you could expect from a bunch of snooty, rich people. He slowly released Iris and she made her way to the front of the crowd where apparently, the Captain was just getting ready to present Joe with his medal.   
Barry cursed low under his breath. He couldn't with this girl, she was so frustrating, yet his very being craved her so strongly, his dick was even more confused than he was.  
"Wow, that was- that was really something," Patty remarked, he couldn't even begin to fathom how she must have been feeling right now.  
"Patty..."  
"Look, the Captain is ready to give his speech," she said, effectively cutting him off, he deserved that.   
"Can I have everyone's attention," Captain Singh stood with Joe at his side and a few of the higher ranked officers on the stage, "I know we're all still reeling from that last dance, but we are about to present the medal of outstanding service to a man I have known for... well, just about as long as I can remember. Since he came into the service 15 years ago, Detective Joe West has been a strong force for good on our service, he is a perfect example of everything a detective, and by extension, a police officer should be. Now I know that these past couple of days have been a very trying time for our dear city, but we will get through this, the sun will shine again, and we will rise stronger than we have ever been, this I promise you. I am proud to have worked alongside this man for as long as I have and I continue to look forward to it because I mean look at us, who knows how much longer we're gonna be around, right?"  
The audience laughed as Joe ducked his head, nodding in agreement.  
"So tonight, it gives me great pleasure to present this medal for outstanding service to Central City's own-"  
The speech was cut abruptly by a bloodcurdling scream from the crowd. At the back, a young couple dropped dead suddenly near the front. Panic was an understatement. The entire hall erupted into screams and chaos. People ran, some trampling others, it was like a nightmare. Barry looked around frantically, Joe, Patty, Captain Singh, Iris... he couldn't find anyone. He knew Iris was standing near the front but he couldn't get through the crowd to get to her side. He could only pray that she was okay. He scanned the room for any signs of suspicious activity, careful not to get trampled in the process. It helped that his super speed made the world around him move much slower than it would to the average person. If he was in danger of being trampled, he could always just walk out of the way. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, no one who looked different than the average guest, but the servers... there was one particular male server who just wasn't quite blending in, granted he could only have seen the back of his head. Still, he moved way too casual amid all the chaos, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Just as he moved to speed away and investigate-  
"Barry!" Patty caught his arm, she was bleeding from a small bruise on her forehead, her eyes were wide, terrified.  
"Patty, are you okay? What happened?"  
"I don't know, I don't know," she sobbed, frantic, "I tried to find you but you-"  
"It's okay, I'm here now... we have to go."  
It was completely against his nature to just leave without helping the injured people but he couldn't leave Patty (especially since she was holding onto him for dear life), she would never forgive him for that. He took a quick second to look back to where he had last seen the suspect. Shit. Gone.   
The room had nearly cleared out, by the time he and Patty made it outside, ambulances were parked all around as the paramedics made their way inside the building to assist the wounded.  
"My god..." Barry whispered, so much chaos, and he could do nothing about it. It took everything in him not to leave Patty, don his suit and run in and save the day.   
"Barry!" Joe waved his hand from inside a nearby ambulance.   
"Joe! I'll be right back, Patty..." he assured her as he gave her a chaste kiss in her forehead, removing his jacket to wrap around her shivering frame, leaving him only in a white shirt which had become disheveled and loose from his pants , "Hey! I need some help over here!"  
Barry ran over to Joe as a paramedic came to assist Patty. He didn't have a scratch on him, which was expected since both he and Captain Singh were on the stage, away from any harm.   
"Is Iris okay?" He asked hurriedly, "Is she hurt? I'm sorry,  I couldn't get to her."  
"Calm down, son...she's fine," Joe assured him, "Not as good as you though, you don't have a scratch on you."   
"Just lucky I guess."  
"Yea, well whatever luck you live by, here's hoping some of it rubs off on me."  
Barry smiled and gave Joe a pat on the back.  
"I-I got one of my partners on the force to give Iris a ride back to the station," Joe was trying his best not to seem broken up but Barry could hear it in his voice and see it in his body language, "If you want to see her you can go on ahead, I'm gonna stay here and make sure everything is okay, the coroners should be here soon to pick up the bodies."  
Joe didn't have to tell him twice. He and Patty rode back to the station where dozens of people, officers and civilians were marching in and out of the building. It was going to be a busy night. Barry knew he would be called upon to do his part at the crime scene but he couldn't think about that now.   
"Are you sure you're okay, Pat?" Barry asked for the billionth time, "You haven't said a word the entire ride here."  
"I'm fine, Barry," her voice was small, quiet, like a child, "The paramedic told me I'd be fine, I'm probably just in shock a little, I suppose."  
"I'm here for as long as you need me, okay?" He smoothed some stray strands of hair from her face gently, but he was distracted. She must have noticed him looking around because what she said next shocked him.  
"You can go, you know."  
"No way, I am not leaving you," he insisted, "Besides, this wouldn't be the first time I pulled an all-nighter here."  
"I don't mean go home, I mean... you can go see Iris."  
Say what?   
"...What?"  
"I know you want to, Barry, that's what you're scanning the room looking for... go on, it's fine."  
She gave a soft smile as she wrapped herself tighter in his jacket, "I'll use this to pretend you're still here."  
"Patty, I-"  
"Please, go, I'll feel bad if you don't."  
He sighed. "I will be back before you know it, if you need me, Patty, please call me."  
She nodded her understanding as Barry left her to go upstairs. He decided to stop by his lab to pick up his gloves just in case he got dragged back to the crime scene, which most likely he would, one of the disadvantages of being the only CSI in the station.  
No sooner had he walked through the door than she saw none other than Iris West. She was standing with her back to the door looking at the timeline of events on his wall, her very bare back. He had unsuccessfully tried shutting her out tonight. No matter how much she frustrated him, he went running to her rescue at the first sign of danger. He was drawn to her in a way that he couldn't explain, it was time he accepted that.  
"I was looking for you..." Barry trailed off when she turned around, her face was tear-streaked.  
"Hey...hey, what's wrong?" He rushed to her side immediately, "Iris?"  
"I'm okay," she smiled solemnly, "I'm not hurt or anything, I just-" she huffed, taking a deep breath, "I'm just a little bit overwhelmed, I guess... I was just walking past but your thingy here caught my eye, I didn't even know I was crying."  
Barry chuckled lightly as he wiped her tears away with his knuckles. He was conscious to be gentle with her, she wasn't immune to being shaken up.   
"Your knuckles are like sandpaper, Barry," she stated and they both started snickering, "I'm sorry I can't say that any nicer."  
"Would you rather I stopped?"  
"No, don't...it's comforting."  
"Okay," he whispered, and soon his hands had gone from her face to her hair, kneading and massaging gently as she leaned into his touch.   
"That feels so good," she moaned, "I take it back, I love your hands."  
Barry laughed, "Make up your mind, woman."  
She sighed contentedly when he finally released her, "I feel better already."  
"I saw you looking at my timeline," he referred her attention to the photos of the crime scenes that the mystery killer had created.   
"A murder for every day of the week," she exhaled, "That's just not right."  
"Tonight, it hit a little too close to home, the murders usually occur at crime hotspots, the first ever murder happened at Jitters and then tonight at the gala..."  
"I know, doesn't make any sense whatsoever," Iris threw up her hands, "Probably best not to think about it too hard."  
"Oh, god..." Barry stood stock-still, he felt like the blood drained out of his body.  
"Barry?" Iris held onto his arms which were stiff against his sides, "Are you okay? You look pale and your skin is all cold and clammy..."  
"I thought it was random," he began frantically scanning every picture going straight down the timeline, while Iris just tried comprehend what was happening, "No, no, no..."  
"Barry, please tell me what's going on," she pleaded, he didn't stop, if anything he started behaving even more erratic, "Barry!"  
He finally stopped.   
"I didn't want to consider the possibility..."   
"What possibility? What is going on, Barry?"   
"Iris..." he could see immediately that she regretted asking the question when she saw the dread on his face as he turned to face her, "the killer is after _you_."

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy that I could get this chapter out so quickly for you guys, the other one may take a while lol  
> Hope you all enjoy and thanks for all the love!!


	5. Parting Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Iris are at odds meanwhile the Central City mystery killer case takes a turn for the better, but where there's a high, there's the inevitable low.

"Iris... the killer is after _you_."

  
Iris said nothing. She shook her head slowly. "No, that..."  
She trailed off. No matter how strong she was or was trying to be, knowing that you were top priority on someone's hit list was not a good feeling.  
"That can't be right," she ghosted her fingertips over the line of pictures stuck to the wall, "it doesn't make sense."  
"These are all the places you've hit up in the past week or so, Iris," he would make her accept this, even if it meant outing himself, "Every single one, every time that you left to do your 'night job', the morning after, you left a trail of bodies in your wake, it's too big of a coincidence."  
She gasped lightly, her breathing sped up as she looked at the wall in disbelief.  
"How do you know that I went to all of these places...were you following me?"  
"It was the only way that I could make sure you were safe," he admitted.  
There was a look in her eyes, it didn't quite look like anger, maybe gratitude, but the unmistakable fear in her eyes masked it.  
"I was trying... to do something good," she whispered, tears began to form in her eyes.  
"These people were not good people, Iris... they were criminals and low lives and I know, that doesn't mean that they deserved to die, by no means, but you cannot blame yourself-"  
"And what about the couple at the gala?" She gasped, and it came out somewhere between a sob and a shout, "What about... what about Eliza and Jessica?"  
She couldn't choke back her sobs any longer. He was around her in an instant, encasing her in his arms as she cried.  
"Hush now..." he murmured into her hair.  
"I _killed_ them, Barry!" She sobbed, the words could barely come out for how much she was crying.  
"Hey, don't say that, okay? Don't ever say that."  
"It's true, this entire thing is my fault...it should have been me..."  
"Hey! Listen to me," he looked into her eyes as he held her tear-stained face in both of his hands, "It could never have been and will never be you. Do you know why?"  
She shook her head no.  
"Because I cannot live in a world without you."  
She gasped softly.  
"Maybe I mean that just the way it sounds or maybe I just mean it as a friend- I don't know, but in the short time that I've known you, I know that much is true... and you make me so fucking crazy, Iris West, but I know that I need you."  
She made to say something but no words came out, for once, he was the one who left her speechless.  
"So you see," he breathed, he was so close to her he could feel her heart beating, well, racing, "It couldn't have been you, ever."  
"Barry," her voice was low and heavy with emotion.  
He was pressed up against her, his breath was hot on her face, he could feel her nipples hardening against his chest through the fabric of her dress. He could feel himself hardening as well, against his better nature, his weak better nature.   
"Mmm?" He murmured, his voice was rough and gravelly.   
Their lips were so close, if he just rocked forward a little, he could have kissed her, he shouldn't... oh, but he wanted to, he really wanted to. Then there was that electricity, that pull between them again...  
Then she said something, almost inaudible, but from what Barry could make out, it sounded like 'please'.  
And then he couldn't hold back anymore, his lips were on hers, the kiss was featherlight, just a taste of what was before him if he dared to dive in.  
Well, Barry didn't know if he could handle that, the small taste he did get had his head spinning, he felt all kinds of dizzy, he felt like he could fall, he felt like he could fly, he didn't know what the fuck he felt, and it was glorious. He didn't want to open his eyes,he didn't want what he was feeling to end, he didn't want to go back to reality, but he had to.  
His eyelids were heavy when he lifted them, he felt drunk, then even more so when his eyes opened to Iris looking directly into his eyes. Her expression was strange, he furrowed his brows.  
"What is this?" She whispered.  
He shook his head, "I don't know."  
"It feels like..."  
"Like what?"  
She gently removed his hands from her face and took some steps backwards.  
"We shouldn't have done this," she said, suddenly very aware of where they were, "You have a girlfriend and we- I can't, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."  
"Iris?"  
She hurriedly exited the room leaving Barry confused. He ran his two hands through his hair, he honestly didn't know what to make of what just happened. It was all fucked. His girlfriend was downstairs, bleeding from a cut on her forehead, terrified, trembling, and he was up here kissing a girl he had only met about 2 weeks ago. Was he that fucked up?  
"Fuck. Fuck!" He shouted.   
He was sure someone heard that. He had to go downstairs before someone came inquiring what the hell was going on. As he looked over the bannister he saw Iris hugging her father tightly, she was crying but Joe probably thought it was just from the shock of what happened.   
Patty was right where he left her as he descended the stairs, "Is everything okay? She asked, "Iris looked like she was crying."  
"Everything is fine, I'm just so ready to go home."  
Patty smiled, "Me too, but won't you have to go down to the crime scene tonight?"  
"Fuck the crime scene," he deadpanned, and Patty raised her eyebrows, it always seemed to surprise her when he swore, "I don't want anything to do with anything that isn't you or my bed, they can survive one night without me."  
"You're not doing this just because of me are you?"  
"No, I- have genuinely just had enough drama and bullshit for the night, I just want to relax."  
"Okay," Patty said, finally, "Let's get you home, I'll drive."  
"Pat, your driving isn't relaxing," he replied and she gave him a face, "I just had a miraculous burst of energy, I'm driving."  
"Whatever," she snorted.  
He couldn't relax for shit and he knew it. He had just found out a murderous psychopath was after Iris, relaxed was the last thing that he was feeling.   
Neither of them were themselves on the way home that night, they were both distant, distracted.   
_Buzz_.  
Barry got a text from Cisco.

_Need to talk to you, can you come in to the lab?  
Cisco_

Fuck no, he couldn't come in. He needed a break from everything, S.T.A.R labs included, the world wouldn't fall apart after just one night without him.

  
He literally fell into bed, Patty chuckled as he rolled over on top of her and dropped his dead weight.   
"Bar, for a thin guy you're heavier than you look," she groaned, "you're crushing me."  
He mumbled something inaudible into her shoulder as he slowly lay back down on his side of the bed, taking him with her.   
They both exhaled heavily at the same time, it was kind of comical, so they both laughed.  
"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked.  
"Mmm, for you, my thoughts are free," she said.  
"Okay," he chuckled softly.  
"I wanted to ask you, actually been wanting to ask you for a while now..."  
"Yeah?"  
"When you... first met me, what did you think of me?"  
Oh great, soul searching.  
He inhaled and then exhaled loudly.  
"Honestly?"  
"Yeah, like honest to God."  
"Nice ass."  
"You did not," she said flatly, "Barry Allen, you did not."  
"I swear, I did."  
Patty covered her face and started laughing uncontrollably.  
"I can't believe you're surprised."  
"I'm not, really, it's just damn funny."  
He hummed in amusement, "I'll tell you what though, behind all those thoughts, I thought you looked pure, I could see you for who you were, you were like a wide open book, it attracted me to you, I knew that what I saw was what I would get, no bullshit."  
She relocated her head to look up at him, "Is that you being serious?"  
"As a heart attack," he grinned sleepily.  
"That's sweet," she said, sliding to give him a chaste kiss on the cheek, he was already halfway asleep.  
"I know it's been a long day...sleep, Barry..."

Barry awoke gasping for breath. He was drenched with sweat as he flew to an upright position on the bed. His main worry was that he would wake Patty, she was a pretty heavy sleeper but he doubted she wouldn't have heard that.  
Patty lay fast asleep on the other side of the bed, all the sheets pulled over her.  
Huh, she didn't hear that.  
He sighed heavily and rubbed his hands over his face, effectively wiping the beads of sweat that now dripped from all over his body. A nightmare. He was convinced that all his dreams from now until they caught this mystery killer would be nightmares, especially since Iris life was now in immediate danger.   
Barry rubbed his neck, pondering if he should send her a text. They had exchanged numbers on one of the few occasions that they met with each other but he had preferred all her interactions with her to be in person, for obvious reasons. The phone was only for emergencies, and times like this when she probably wouldn't let him in if he showed up to the house.   
He reluctantly picked up the phone and began to send a text, calling would be his last resort, he didn't want to talk to her while he was in bed with Patty.

_Iris... about last night, I-_

He erased the text. He shouldn't mention last night, he might upset her more, apologies were better in person.

_Iris, I know you're upset, do you think we can talk-_

He erased. He didn't want to seem like he was trying to push himself on her, she needed time to think about everything. Besides, what was he going to say, 'I didn't mean any of it, sorry my lips fell on yours?"

_Iris, I just want to make sure you're okay._

Better. Sweet and to the point. He hit send and lay back on the bed, gently passing his hand over Patty's bare shoulder.  
"Barry?" She mumbled sleepily.  
Oh, but him practically screaming out in his sleep didn't wake her?  
"Hey, sleepyhead," he nuzzled her neck.  
"Is everything okay? How come you're up so early?"  
"It's 6 A.M, Pat," he murmured, "go back to sleep... I'm going downstairs for a little while, clear my head a bit."  
"Okay." She replied dreamily, "You're coming back right?"  
"Of course," he creased his eyebrows.  
"Okay," she yawned, "Come back to me, okay?"  
"Okay..." he whispered.   
She was more asleep than awake, obviously.  
He was anxious to check in at S.T.A.R Labs before he went to work, Cisco expressed that he had something to talk to him about but he really wasn't in the mood last night.  
Now he was wondering what it could be, hopefully good news because lately it felt like everything in his life was going to shit.   
He could afford to use his speed to get ready quickly since Patty was asleep, he would come back after he checked in at the lab, he promised her.

"Cisco," Barry called as he sped into the lab where only Cisco was present.  
"Gah!" Cisco shouted, nearly tripping over his own feet, "Dude! My heart!"  
"Since when are you so spooked?" Barry questioned.  
"Since there's a murderous psychopath running wild in the city, we could all be picked off at any time."   
"No one is getting picked off, okay? Now what did you want to talk about?"  
Cisco held a finger up signaling Barry to wait as he made his way over to his computer.  
"So...I, in my infinite wisdom, was able to get an actual photo of one of the murder scenes from last week just minutes after it happened."  
"How were you able to get that?" Barry was leaning over Cisco trying to get a clearer look at the photo while it was still loading.   
"Well," Cisco clapped his hands together slowly, "Turns out, there's this magical tool called 'the internet' and-"  
"Yea, okay, I get it, picture's almost done loading."  
"Feast your eyes on this," Cisco said with pride as he pointed at a particular spot on the photo next to the body.  
Barry shook his head, "Okay wait, I don't understand, is that what I think it is?"  
"Yup..." said Cisco, popping the p, "Water. A puddle of water."  
"Tell me you did not call me all the way over here to see a puddle of water, just tell me that, please."  
"Look, this is not just any puddle, okay? This puddle is a clue."  
"A clue that helps us in no way she whatsoever."  
Cisco folded his arms sassily, "Okay, if I knew you were gonna be this ungrateful, I would've kept this to myself, I don't see you coming with something better."  
Barry sighed exasperatedly, dropping his shoulders and looking to the roof. Cisco was so difficult sometimes.   
"It's not much to go on seeing as how this is the only picture that we have, that doesn't have to be a clue it could just be a random puddle of water, anything could have caused it. It only possibly becomes a clue if we find another murder scene photo with the same thing, other than that it's just a puddle."  
"Well, I don't know about you but when I hear the words 'murderous psychopath' my first thought isn't to stick around and take pictures it's to get the hell outta dodge."  
"So what you're saying is that this is the only picture that we have right now and probably will ever get?"  
"Yeah, pretty much."  
Barry put his hands in his head. He was legitimately feeling like giving up, every road led to a dead end, it was like they were just chasing their tails.  
"Alright, Cisco," Barry finally said, "I will... keep this in mind, okay?"  
Cisco flashed a satisfied grin, "That's all I ask."  
"So if that's all you wanted to talk about, I gotta head back home and-"  
"Actually, there is one other thing," Cisco admitted, his whole demeanor had changed, whatever he wanted to say, it seemed to have him uncomfortable.  
"Okay, shoot," Barry insisted.  
Cisco took a deep breath and Barry waited patiently.   
"Have you noticed anything strange about Caitlin these past couple of days?"  
Barry blinked cluelessly.  
"What... do you mean?"  
"Like has he she been acting a little, you know, strange to you?"  
Caitlin, strange? He really had not been paying much attention to much of anything these days but he didn't think he could've missed Caitlin acting off.  
"No, I don't.... think so," he was unsure now, what he thought he knew might not have been what he really knew, he had to go back into his memory and think about it.  
"She may have been a little... angrier than usual lately but..."   
"Angrier? Like in what way?"  
Cisco was definitely overreacting.  
Barry scoffed, "I dunno like- like when she sat me and Patty down to try and help us reconcile she was a bit... yelly..."  
Cisco nodded his headed attentively, his eyes wide, he would probably believe anything that came out of his mouth right now.  
"... and then when she saw me and Iris talking for the first time she was a bit..." Barry swayed his hands like he was trying to unearth the right word to use.  
"Cold! Cold, she was cold, I told you, she's acting freaky, she even skipped out on us the last few days last week without saying anything."  
"She told me she was going to take a few days to visit her mom," Barry said, confused, talk about mixed signals.  
"Well, apparently she's picking and choosing friends cause she didn't tell me anything, H.R. either.  
"Well, that's not like Caitlin but I still think you're overreacting a bit, she probably had some personal issues to deal with and Patty is her friend, it's understandable that she would have been a little upset about Iris and I."  
Cisco looked unconvinced, "I'm telling you, she's different, she's volatile, she's-"  
"Morning," Caitlin said flatly as she entered the room, looking as un-Caitlin like as he'd ever seen her. Her hair looked uncombed, her eyes had noticeable bags under them and she walked as though she had been lifting heavy weights the day before.   
"Here! You're here!" Cisco laughed nervously, "You are here, and we weren't talking about you or anything if-if that's what you were thinking."  
Caitlin looked at him like she could care less even if they were talking about her. Unamused, that was probably the best way to describe her expression.   
"What's wrong with you?" She asked.  
Barry sighed, this was ridiculous. They were all friends here, friends could just ask other friends if they were turning into sociopathic super villains without it being weird, right?  
"Cisco seems to think that you're slowly turning back into Killer Frost, is that true?" He asked plainly.  
"Really, Cisco?" She deadpanned, "Really?"  
Cisco looked like a deer in headlights while Caitlin and Barry both looked at him expectantly, waiting for an explanation.  
"So, just to confirm, you really aren't turning into her?" Cisco asked   
"Why would you even think that?" Caitlin inquired.   
"I don't know, I thought you were acting strange and I just- I'm worried about you, Caitlin."  
Caitlin's expression softened as she sighed, "I am sorry for worrying you, Cisco, but I promise that I am okay."  
"Okay," he smiled slightly.  
"Okay," Barry clapped his hands together loudly, making Cisco jump out of his skin and Caitlin cringe, "So can I leave now, are you two kids gonna be okay without me?"  
Caitlin groaned, pressing her fingers to her temples, "Please do not do that again, I've got a headache from hell and I don't need it getting any worse."  
"Speaking of hell," Barry began, looking her up and down," You look a lot like it, are you okay?"  
"I'm fine, I'm just tired, I feel like I haven't slept in days."  
"Why's that?"  
"I don't know, just a feeling, I guess."  
"And how'd things go with your mom?"  
Caitlin paused, "What'd you say?"  
"Your mom... you said you were going to visit her?"   
"Oh, right, right, yeah, everything went fine she's fine, everything's...fine."  
Something was fishy, he had never seen Caitlin this way before.  
"Okay... well, I gotta get home and to work before Patty and Captain Singh both kill me, respectively; holler if you need me."  
And just like that, he was off.   
He ran upstairs to the apartment quickly, at normal speed, of course, to check on Patty. They were hella late but Barry honestly couldn't care less, he was in no hurry to get the day started especially considering the shitload of responsibility he would have to face.  
"Patty?" He called as he entered their bedroom... not there.  
"Pat?"  
He called her name down the lonely corridors of their flat as he searched the house for her.  
"Patty cake, you there? Pat-"  
There she was sitting in the kitchen, deep in thought, she probably didn't even hear him calling. She was already dressed for work but mentally, she looked as far away from there as she could possibly be. She sat on one of their two high kitchen chairs, a cup of steaming coffee on the table before her as she distractedly rubbed her fingers together.   
"Patty?" He called softly.  
She almost jumped out of her skin.   
"Whoa, hey, it's me. It's just me," he assured her.  
She let out a relieved sigh as she spun around to see a concerned Barry.  
"Sorry, sorry I'm still just, a little jumpy is all," she admitted, clutching her cup of coffee so tightly Barry thought she might break it.  
"It's understandable, we all are," he made to reach for her arm when she ever so subtly pulled it back. His brows creased.  
She gave him a minuscule smile and tried to play it off.  
"Are you sure that this is only about the attack last night, because I feel like it's something more..."  
"There's nothing more," she said in no long space of time, "Just doing some thinking."  
"Well, maybe we can talk about it on the way to work, we certainly won't have time to talk on work."  
"Actually, Barry, I was thinking that you could go ahead without me," she suggested and he became even more confused, she never wanted to go anywhere without him, they were practically joined at the hip, "And I'll catch up later, maybe take a taxi or something, I don't know."  
Barry darted his tongue over his lips, effectively moistening them as he leaned on the kitchen counter, "Patty, are we..." he paused long, "You know that you can talk to me, right?"  
She was expressionless, he might have even dared to say she was cold, "You should go, they're really gonna need you out there today."  
Barry let out a breath he had been holding.  
"I love you, Patty."  
There was a long pause, they looked at each other, his feelings were genuine, she had to know that.  
"I love you too, Barry," she said finally, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips and a smile as she retreated to their bedroom.   
He remained where he was, he wouldn't force her to be around him, if she wanted space, again, he would give it to her.

When he arrived at the CCPD, things were, well, pretty much like he expected, in a tizzy. Half the cops were running up and down like little ants, picking things up, putting things down, throwing things down. Meanwhile there were civilians everywhere, no doubt persons who were present at the gala last night, they must have been flowing in and out of the station all night since there were at least 300 people there. There seemed to have a pile up now. He might have definitely fucked himself by not remaining at work last night, he would have twice the work to do now. Joe blew past him and he almost didn't have time to call him.  
"Joe?"  
Joe didn't stop, he didn't even hear him, was that going around this morning?   
"Joe!" He shouted above all the voices and the chaos and he finally spun around, searching for the voice summoning him.  
"Barry? Should I even ask where you were last night? We've been catching our asses all night here, walk with me."  
"I know, I'm sorry, I just had a lot to deal with last night," Barry explained as he struggled to keep up with Joe, he must've bumped into more than ten people in the short time they'd been walking.   
"Well, you're gonna have even more to deal with now, see the state of this place?"  
"Yeah, I noticed," Barry said flatly, "Where are we headed, don't you need me to do the work up on the bodies?"  
"Never mind that, we're going to the interrogation room. Most of the people who were at the gala last night say they didn't see the killer who murdered that couple last night but I think that's bullshit, I think they're just scared to speak out for fear of being targeted; either way, we got a guy down there, says he got a look and says he's willing to talk."  
After all the disappointments they've had pertaining to this case, Barry felt like this was going to turn out to be another 'close but no cigar' scenario.   
"Let's hope our luck finally changes with this case," Barry said and Joe grunted in agreement, "Hey, Joe?"  
"Yeah?"  
"How's Iris? I mean, how's she doing, you know, with everything?"  
What he really wanted to ask was 'how's she doing after I basically told her she was responsible for multiple murders and then kissed her whilst my girlfriend was downstairs'.  
"She's... coping," Joe said, though not at all convincingly, "She was pretty upset last night, I've been here all night so I haven't had a chance to check in on her this morning but hey- let's talk about this later, okay?"  
They had reached the interrogation room, all the answers for all the questions they'd been searching for since the first murder at Jitters could have been right on the other side of that door. Barry would be lying if he said he wasn't anxious, still, he left ample room for disappointment.  
Joe opened the door to reveal a young man sitting at the table across from a chair that was no doubt reserved for him.  
"Can I....you know, be in here?" Barry asked quietly, he had literally never done or been privy to an interrogation in his life. We're there rules or...  
"I need you here by my side, Bar, you can stay."  
Barry nodded dutifully as moved to stand near the door like the bouncer at a club.  
The man looked young, early 20s, he actually reminded Barry a bit of himself, tall and lanky and wildly handsome.   
"Alright, son," Joe said calmly as he took a seat, "Are you ready for us?"  
The man nodded quickly as he nervously picked at his fingernails, hell, he was even making him nervous with that shit.  
"Who's he?" The man pointed, looking at Barry who looked at Joe like a child waiting for their parent to answer.  
"He's my partner," Joe explained slowly, like he was talking to a wild animal, "He's a CSI, he's here to help."  
"Help with what?"  
"Anything and everything," Joe said, he said it with such finality that the man had no choice but to be quiet.  
"Okay, now that we have that covered, can we have your name, for our records?"  
"This stays confidential, right?" The man asked almost immediately, "He won't be able to find me, right?"  
"He? It's a man?" Barry interjected, remembering the server at the gala, he could've been on to something had Patty not distracted him.  
"Yeah, it was a man... my name's Eric, by the way, Eric Richards."  
"What else did you see, Eric?" Barry asked, they'd gotten more information in 5 seconds than they'd gotten in five days.  
"Wait, I thought he was interviewing me," Eric said, pointing at Joe. Poor guy, he seemed like he could unravel at any moment, Barry wondered how he even had the stones to come forward with this information.   
"Well, I was about to ask the same question so..." Joe motioned with his hands for Eric to continue.  
"Alright, I didn't see his face. He was dressed as a server but he was careful, real careful. He didn't talk, he didn't draw attention to himself, you wouldn't have even known he was there. I was at the front when it happened. He stabbed them with..."  
"With what?" Joe asked, he looked like he was about ready to dive over the table if Eric didn't answer the damn question quick, "What weapon did he have?"  
"He didn't have a weapon, man, he _was_ the weapon..."  
Barry took a step closer to Eric and he flinched in surprise.  
"It's okay, it's alright... what do you mean he was the weapon?" Barry questioned.  
"Ice," he said simply, "Ice coming out of his hands, they just came out of both his hands and went straight through both their hearts then back in, I just happened to see. He did it so quick, so subtle... god."  
Barry and Joe exchanged looks, this was a major breakthrough. Even though they didn't have a name to fit the bill, they got more than enough to enhance the hunt for this guy.   
"Thank you so much, Mr. Richards, you're free to go," Joe said as he and Barry quickly made to leave the room, Detective Singh needed to hear this, right away.  
"Wait, that's it? I don't I get some kind of protective custody? What if he comes after me?"  
Barry put a hand on his shoulder, "This guy already has a target, Eric, and it's not you...go home, you've helped a lot."

"Captain Singh!" Barry and Joe were both shouting at the same time as they barged into his office.  
Singh sighed, rubbing his hands over his eyes, "You know, I know I don't have a 'please knock' sign but somehow I thought it'd be understood."  
"Sorry, sir," Barry said, Joe was all out of breath from running so fast, "But this is really important."  
"I've had people coming into my office all through the night saying that exact same thing, and Allen, should I even bother asking where you were last night?"  
"I have a good reason, I swear," he assured Singh, though that was a big, steaming of horse shit, he had to sell it, "But right now you really need to hear what we just found out."  
"Alright, make it quick."  
"A witness from the gala last night gave us some information on our mystery killer, a male with ice coming out of his hands..." Joe explained.  
Singh sighed heavily as he laid back with force into his chair.  
"We know it doesn't sound like very much but think about it, it explains a lot, why we couldn't find any traces of the murders after they happened, ice wouldn't leave any kind of bread crumb trail whatsoever..."  
"The perfect crime," Barry said, finishing Joe's sentence.   
"Did you also find some sort of explanation about how he was able to avoid any kind of detection thus far?" Singh asked hopefully, since they were on some sort of a lucky streak, might as well throw it out there.  
"That... I think we can chalk up to skill," Barry guessed.  
Singh was pondering, a lot, Barry and Joe began to wonder if he forgot they were there.  
"Sir?" Barry called.  
"We have to make a statement on this," Singh didn't even flinch as he stared into space, "We make a statement, make people aware of what's happening so they can be better prepared... and we still have no idea what his motives are?"  
"No idea," Joe said immediately.  
Captain Singh nodded his head in understanding at Joe then averted his sight to Barry who looked like he just knew too much. This psychopath was after Joe's daughter and he knew it, and he couldn't say anything. He couldn't blow everything out in the open and he couldn't worry Joe like that, besides, nothing was going to happen, he would protect Iris. He would protect her until his dying breath.  
"Allen?" Barry shook himself out of his stupor to find Captain Singh staring at him, he was starting to feel like a criminal.   
"No, absolutely no idea," Barry lied, probably wasn't very convincing, but Singh seemed to buy it.   
"...Alright, Joe, I'm gonna need you to call the 7 o'clock news, tell them we're releasing an official statement on the Central City mystery killer and Allen, I'm giving you the lovely task of pulling up the reports on every murder this mystery killer's ever committed, go over them and give me something I can use for my statement."  
"Wait, every single report?"  
"First to the last, I'd usually give Ramirez that job but as you can see, everyone's a bit preoccupied, I need you to step up," Singh said firmly.  
"Sir, that could take hours," Barry reminded him, although he was pretty sure he knew and/or didn't care.  
"You best get to it then."  
Shit. He was going to be here a while.

_Hi, this is Patty. I cannot come to the phone right now because I've probably misplaced my phone, like I always do, so leave your message at the beep and I'll get back to you, bye now!_

This was literally the sixth time he had gotten her voicemail, since he left her this morning she hadn't shown up to work even though she said she'd follow behind him. There were only so many voice messages he could take before he would begin to get worried, Patty rarely missed work, she could be in trouble. She was acting strange and distant this morning but he didn't get any reason to believe that she was staying home for personal reasons, she would have told him, right?  
He began nervously tapping his nails on the desk as he began to study all kinds of worst case scenarios. What if the mystery killer had her? What if he'd already killed her? Why wasn't she answering her fucking phone? Now he knew how it felt when she did that.   
Fuck this. He was going back to the apartment to look for her, he'd only made it about three quarter way through all the reports he was supposed to, even with his ability to read quickly, it was a lot of material. But Patty came before work, hopefully he could be back in time to finish it before the news tonight.  
He sped out of the lab, leaving behind scattered report papers all over the floor. Shit, he'd have to clean that up later. As he braked at the door of the apartment, he slowly opened it to find three suitcases neatly packed together near the door.   
He didn't want to play naive and act like like he didn't know what was happening, he did, unexpected though it was.   
Patty walked out into the room with her head in her phone, unaware of his presence until she probably began to feel like there was suddenly an elephant in the room. She looked at him, she was calm in her movements, but her expression was unreadable.   
"You move quick," Barry motioned to the suitcases in the corner of the room, he could see a little emotion from her then, she looked remorseful.  
"I was actually hoping to be gone by the time you came home, I expected you to come looking for me when I didn't show up to work today so I had to, I had a note prepared and everything," she chuckled dryly, pointing at the piece of paper on the light stand.   
"You weren't even going to say goodbye?"   
He couldn't help but laugh a little, nothing was funny, it was more like a 'I can't believe this is happening to me' laugh.  
She drew in a deep breath through her mouth, "I thought that I could handle this, Barry, but I really can't, this isn't just a decision based on impulse, I've thought long and hard about this."  
"We've been together, what, five years? I've known her for about a week, you met her yesterday, you're giving up on this already?" He couldn't keep the hurt out of his voice as he spoke to her.   
"Don't talk to me about giving up on us, Barry, I think you know deep down that you did that since the day you met Iris," her voice trembled as she tried to strengthen it, "The funny thing is, I'm not mad at her, I'm not even mad at you... I'm disappointed, Barry."  
He creased his brows in confusion, "I take it you're gonna explain why?"  
"You knew... all this time, you knew, you knew what you felt for her was stronger than what you ever felt for me and still, you kept dragging me along in the dirt, you kept me around like what, some kind of plaything to just come home to whenever you saw fit?"  
"Don't do that," he said immediately.  
"Do what? Tell you how I feel?"  
"Don't act like that's what I was doing, you know that's not true."  
"Do I?"  
"Patty..."  
"I'm not sure anymore, Barry...because things that I thought I knew, I'm realizing I didn't know shit... how much of this relationship is actually built on truth?"  
Barry shook his head in disbelief, "Are you... implying that I somehow cheated on you?"  
"Well, if the shoe fits, Barry Allen, then by all means, go ahead and wear it."  
Barry couldn't believe that they were having this conversation, it was like she didn't know him at all (Although he and Iris did kiss once and then almost kissed another time).  
"You know what, it doesn't even matter if you cheated on me, Barry," Patty laughed humorlessly, "To be honest, I'd be more surprised if you didn't; the point is that you didn't have the decency to tell me that we were no longer what we used to be and that it was over. That was all you had to do was tell me it was over, Barry."  
"I didn't want to- I don't want to- I love you," he didn't quite shout, but his voice raised considerably.   
"I didn't say that you didn't," she said quietly, he could hear her voice threatening to break, "But if you loved me enough, you'd have let me go the minute- no, the second that you met her... I can't live like this, Barry."  
He felt a teardrop descend down his cheek as the silence between them stretched, he was usually the strong one in these situations but if it was really over...  
"Is it really over?" He questioned as she averted her gaze to the ground.  
He couldn't tell if she was thinking about it or just trying to figure out a way to say yes without actually saying yes.   
"Patty?" He called out to her when she gave no answer.   
"You broke us, Barry," she said sadly, and the words hit him like an arrow through the heart because he knew every word of it was true, " _You_ broke us, not me, not Iris, _you_... and I don't know that I can forgive you for that."  
Barry couldn't explain what he was feeling as she grabbed her suitcases and coat and headed towards the door.   
She paused as she stood directly across from him, looking up into his eyes.  
"This is the first time you've looked me in the eyes since I came here tonight," he told her, sniffing lightly.   
She huffed lightly, "I was afraid I'd cry if I did."  
"Looks like you were right," he said, wiping a single teardrop that clung to her lashes with his finger, causing her to close her eyes and shiver lightly.   
There was another long pause as she exhaled deeply, "Yes..."  
He stood in dread of the words that he feared would leave her lips ever since he got involved with Iris, "...it's really over."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you babies like, been a long time coming....


	6. Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are bad. Lol.

Barry was alone. The feeling was indescribable, a kind of emptiness, mixed with a strange pain...sort of like a knot in the pit of the stomach that just keeps squeezing tighter and tighter with every second. There were no other words to use.  
He was alone. The door was left ajar letting a cold breeze from down the corridor of the building sneak in. He could still smell her, he could see her in his arms, see her smile, hear her laugh, his every sense was attuned to her even though she was gone.  
He stood in the exact same place she left him, his legs felt like anvils, his entire body, really. He turned around to face the door, somehow hoping that she would just run back through into his arms, everything forgotten, forgiven...he also didn't want that. It was a strange feeling, wanting someone and then not wanting them at the same time, like having dual identities.  
He needed to do something, blow off some steam, maybe. Running always helped him relax, but if he was being honest with himself, he didn't want to relax, he wanted someone to blame, plain and simple. He wanted to quell the pain he felt, to make himself feel better about a situation that was clearly his fault. He left the apartment abruptly and headed towards the West residence. He walked over, Iris only lived about 15 minutes away from him without his speed. Usually he would use the time to think about what he was going to say and how he was going to say it but he wasn't thinking right now, right now he was running on pure, adulterated impulse, and that was a danger in itself.  
Barry was sure Joe wouldn't be home since he had multiple duties back at the CCPD and he didn't give a fuck in any event, he was going to see Iris and he was going to do it now, Joe or no Joe. He didn't give a fuck if she didn't want to see him, he didn't give a fuck if she wouldn't open the door to him, he just didn't give a fuck.  
He walked up to the front door of the house and rapped on the door again, and again and again until-  
"Barry?" Iris greeted him as she held the door open slightly, allowing him to view only her head.  
He didn't answer.  
"Look," she sighed, "I don't want to be rude but I really don't think it's a good idea for you to be here right now so-"  
He cut her short by pushing his foot between the door, stopping her from shutting him out.  
"Where did you come from?" He asked, there was a growl in his voice as he spoke.  
Iris looked dumbfounded, "I- excuse me?"  
"You just come into my life from out of nowhere like this...storm, you just fuck everything right up, and now you just want out?"  
She scoffed as she looked at him with an expression of disbelief, "What the hell are you on about? As I recall, you were the one who first talked to me, and come to think of it, I don't think I like the way you're talking to me right now; I think you need to leave."  
"I'm not going anywhere," he pushed against the door, effectively pushing her and it back to forcibly let himself in. He didn't have much control at the moment but he was hyper-aware of his own strength against hers, and how careful he had to be not to hurt her.  
"Who the hell do you think you are letting yourself into my house like this?" She fumed.  
He could see her whole body now. She wore a casual, short black shirt with short sleeves and a low cut; a tight, faded denim jeans and her feet were bare. Her hair was pulled to her right side in a messy braid, leaving some hair to fall near her face. She looked gorgeous as always, but right now he could only see red.  
"You look tense, why don't you sit down, relax, put your feet up, let me tell you all about my day!" he said loudly, motioning her towards the couch.  
"What has gotten into you?" She folded her arms around her tiny waist, "Have I done something to you? Because I-"  
"Patty broke up with me today... about a few minutes ago, actually."  
Iris sighed deeply, putting her hand over her mouth, "Oh, god, Barry..."  
"Do you want to know why we broke up? Do you want to know why she ended it? It was because of you, the entire thing was because of you. She felt like she couldn't compete with you so she left me. She left the apartment in tears, in pieces, and it is all because of you, Iris."  
She didn't know what to say, she opened her mouth as if to speak but no sound came out, she looked like she was getting ready to cry. Good. He wanted her to feel bad, he wanted to cry, to feel pain, feel his pain. He wanted her to take responsibility, maybe then it wouldn't be his fault.  
"I- I didn't mean... I'm sor-"  
"You're what? Sorry?" He said harshly, "Is that what you were going to say, because if it was you can save it for someone who has a higher tolerance for bullshit than me."  
Whatever remorse she had was now being replaced by something stronger, he could see it.  
"What is wrong with you?" She raised her voice against him, "Why are you being like this?"  
He shrugged carelessly, "I'm just speaking the truth... you're not sorry, Iris, in fact, I'm pretty damn sure that you couldn't be happier right now."  
"What the hell are you trying to say, Barry? Why don't you just say it, instead of beating around the bush?"  
"I'm saying that you wanted this," he began walking slowly, menacingly even, towards her, "From day one, since the first time we talked, you've wanted this...wanted me."  
Iris laughed uncontrollably, it was a laugh of unbelief, like she honestly couldn't believe he was being so full of it, "Oh my god, Barry. If you think you're going to get your ego stroked from me, you are sorely mistaken."  
"I don't need you to say anything, your body language says it all," he walked against her, instinctively causing her to take some steps back, closer to the wall.  
"You wanted me, and you still want me, don't you?" He said in a low voice as she stood against her, he was trying to back her into a corner and she was having absolutely none of it.  
"You keep telling yourself that, Barry Allen," she said defiantly, but he could see he was having an effect on her, her pores stood at full attention.  
He chuckled darkly, walking her back further into the wall until he had almost boxed her in, "I bet you dream about me every night..."  
"Stop," she commanded, but he paid her no mind.  
"...I bet you probably touch yourself just thinking about me..."  
"I said stop it, Barry," she said sternly.  
"...And when you're with your boyfriend and his cock is inside you..."  
"Don't," she said firmly, although biting back subtle tears, this time they were tears of anger.  
"...I know you'll be wishing it was mines; fucking you, making you scream, making you-"  
Before he could finish she quickly rose her hand to strike him across the face, of course, he saw her hand coming from a mile away and caught it in mid-air with ease.  
Her breathing was heavy and uneven as they remained that way for a while.  
"I want you to leave, now." She commanded.  
"And what if I say no?" He challenged.  
"Don't push me any more than you already have, Barry. How dare you come in here accusing me of being some kind of home wrecker? How dare you accuse me of- " she broke off for a while, changing her tone, "Look, I'm sorry about you and Patty, but I didn't want any of this, I swear, and for you to come to me like this, Barry, I..."  
He was completely devoid of any emotion as he watched her break into silent sobs. Every time that she cried, he was always there in a heartbeat, cradling her, embracing her, but not this time. This time he wanted to hurt her.  
He stepped even closer to her, leaning in till their bodies were almost flush together to touch her ear lightly with his lips as he whispered, "Is this the part where I'm supposed to feel sorry for you?"  
"Get out," she seethed as she snatched her hand out of his grasp with force that he didn't even know she had, "Now."  
He had never seen this side of her, she was fuming, feral, almost. The look in her eyes scared even him, a part of him knew that he had probably fucked up the only good thing that remained in his life, but pride...  
"Fine," he complied, "Fine, I'll go."  
"And when you do, Barry," she called behind him, "Do not ever come back."  
He stopped. The impact of what she just said hit him hard. When he walked out the door, he was walking away from the only thing that ever truly made him feel happy, but the damage was already done. Even if he turned around right that second and professed his undying love for her, it wouldn't make up for how much he had hurt her... so he kept walking.  
He shut the front door behind him and kept his head straight, he could hear loud sobs coming from back inside the house and deep down, though he didn't care to admit it, it broke his heart.

 

"Barry," a faint voice called his name, he was in a sort of trance, like an outer body experience. The voice in his head kept repeating his name over and over again, the noises of the outside world becoming louder to his ears until-  
"Barry!"  
Barry almost fell off his chair. He was back on work at his desk, if he was being honest, he didn't really remember much of how he got there, everything after he left Iris was kind of a blur, a big, messy blur.  
Joe stood over him giving him a funny look.  
"You sleepwalk here or something? Ever since you've gotten here you've been all dismal...something you want to talk to me about?"  
He couldn't even begin to tell Joe what was on his mind, they would be there all night.  
"Nah, just tired, I think," he lied, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately.  
"Mm-hmm," Joe replied in knowing manner, but before he could walk off...  
"Joe?"  
"Yeah?"  
"There actually is something I've been wanting to tell you for a while," Barry said, not looking Joe in the eyes, because what he was about to do was probably a bit petty, or a lot petty. At the moment, he couldn't tell if he was doing it because he wanted to protect Iris or because he just wanted to get at her; probably the latter.  
"Has Iris mentioned anything to you about some work that she's been doing, off the books?" He asked and Joe looked confused as ever, he looked worried, the conversation didn't seem like it could end with any good news.  
"Off the books? What do you mean?" Joe was paying full attention to Barry now, his gaze was set on him intently, if Barry wasn't good for himself, he might have cracked under the pressure.  
"She..." he sighed, "She told me about some activities that she's involved in for a few weeks, maybe months now... she's been doing some undercover investigations in her spare time, mainly at night, or so she told me."  
Joe raised his eyebrows, he looked like he was about to have a stroke.  
"I don't know, Joe, I know she's trying to do good but I think she could be putting herself at-"  
"Hold up," Joe stopped him in his tracks, "Where has she been doing the so-called undercover work?"  
"I really don't think you want to know?" Barry winced.  
Joe looked at Barry with an angry expression, at first he thought it was just because of what Iris did but then he looked like he wanted to kill him also.  
"You knew about this, and you didn't tell me?" Joe scolded, any louder and he would make a scene in the whole station.  
"Hey, I-I didn't want to worry you," she whispered, trying to pacify Joe a little, "I just didn't want you to worry."  
"Well, you're not doing a very good job of that right now, and you should have told me about this the second you found out! The very second! My feelings and my health be damned, that's my baby girl's life you put at risk; and even though I'm furious with her, I'm disappointed in you, Barry."  
Joe nodded and lowered head like a child getting a scolding from their parent, this was not how this was supposed to go.  
"Look, I'm sorry, Joe, I really am."  
"Not as sorry as Iris is going going to be when I see her, but right now we have bigger problems, you finish up on those reports for the Captain?"  
Shit. Shit.  
"Shit. What time is it?"  
"About 6:30," Joe didn't even seem surprised by his flustered actions, he was used to it.  
"Shit, I gotta go!"  
He fucked up.

 

"Are we sure everything is good?" Captain Singh whispered in what little privacy he could get behind about a dozen cameras and microphones. It was 7:01 pm in front of the CCPD building and it was almost time for the big address. Barry was awful proud of himself, he read through those reports in such a rush he gave himself a headache, but at least he met his deadline. He couldn't imagine having to tell Captain Singh that he didn't have the material for his speech when they already booked the slot on the news, his ass would have been fired for sure. Either that or Singh would have thrown him in the brig, that's what everyone called the basement where rejected officers went to work on dead projects that no one gave a rat's ass about.  
Singh looked nervous, he was not enthusiastic about having to tell the entire city that there was a meta human serial killer with ice powers on the loose in Central City and no one had a clue what he looked like meaning he could have been any damn body.  
Singh cleared his throat nervously, "Good night, citizens of Central City."  
Cameras flashed brightly, clicking and snapping, no pressure.  
"Today, the CCPD received some critical information on the Central City Mystery Killer, for approximately two weeks this crazed maniac has been at large and has been terrorizing our precious city. He has so far committed fifteen murders, in cold blood, Until today, we have no real clue to bring us any closer to putting this murderer behind bars where he belongs, but now, with the help of a source, who will remain anonymous, we finally have a lead. The suspect has been discovered to be a metahuman, a male with ice coming forth from his hands and by extension, his entire body. We are aware that this is not much, but it is currently all we have. Now, a word of warning, we do not release this information for anyone to go looking for this killer, he is considered highly dangerous and lethal, self defense and caution are our best chance against this monster until he is caught and detained. Thank you."  
Captain Singh was bombarded with various questions as he turned to leave the podium, all of which he ignored and rightfully so; there were certain things that the press were not meant to be privy to.  
"Captain Singh, sir, that was...well done," Barry remarked.  
"Well, I think I should be thanking you, Allen; if it weren't for the information on those reports I would have been like a headless chicken up there."  
"My pleasure," Barry shrugged.  
"Miss West," Singh directed his attention to behind Barry's back where apparently, Iris was standing.  
He swore in his head, he wasn't really in the mood to face her after what happened a while ago, but he had to be cool.  
"Good night, Captain," she replied politely, but her voice sounded off, not like hers at all.  
He turned around to see that her eyes were puffy, noticeably, she looked sad, she had been crying.  
"Did you hear the news announcement just now?" Singh inquired, he seemed mighty proud of it.  
"I sure did," she smiled, "I'm thankful someone came forward with information, one step closer to catching the son of a bitch."  
Captain Singh raised his eyebrows, like he wasn't expecting her aggression towards the matter, "Got something personal with this guy?"  
"He killed two of my friends, it's way past personal."  
Singh regarded her carefully, he seemed impressed.  
"You really are Detective Joe West's daughter," he chuckled and she nodded proudly.  
"If you'll both excuse me now, I have some business to attend to, you two enjoy the rest of your night."  
"Have a good night, Captain," Iris said.  
Then they were alone, the two of them. This was going to be awkward, either that or they'd end up in an argument.  
He looked at her, and she looked right back at him, but she didn't look angry in the least, just sad.  
She looked away from him down at the floor, "Sorry, came to see my dad."  
"Um, yeah, I think I saw him, in the lobby; you can check if you..." he trailed off.  
"Yeah, I'll do that," she gave a slight smile, strictly out of politeness, "Thanks."  
"No problem."  
They might as well had been strangers, formalities and all. Usually he would make a crack about her thanking him but it really didn't seem the right time.  
Just then, Joe came marching toward them, and he did not look like a happy camper.  
"Hey, dad," she grinned, "I've been looking for you, I figure since you've been working so hard these days maybe we could enjoy some takeout, just like we used to? I hardly ever see you home anymore, imagine I have to come to your work to see-"  
"Iris West, how could you?" Joe shook his head, and he could see the exact moment Iris' smile started to fade.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Were you ever going to tell me what was going on with you or did you think I would figure it out eventually, being a detective and all?" He scolded, breathing heavily.  
Barry could tell that this talk was hurting Joe way more thanks could ever hurt Iris; she was like the apple of his eye, and finding out that she had been lying to him for so long, that was something to break your heart.  
"Dad, what are you talking about?" She spoke cautiously, it didn't look like it would take much to set him off in his current state.  
"I'm talking about you, going behind my back and running off to play superhero," his voice was unsteady, "Did you even think about what this would do to me, about what would have happened to me if you had gotten hurt. Iris, you are my only child, my baby girl, there is nothing I wouldn't do to protect you, but it seems like you don't even care about protecting yourself."  
Iris didn't know what to say, what could she say, sorry? She was well aware of her actions and it was no mistake.  
She turned around to face Barry who was standing with a bleak expression on his face, the damage was done.  
"You told my dad on me?" She asked incredulously, "Barry, that wasn't your decision to make."  
"And if he hadn't, would you have ever done it?" Joe questioned, putting her on the spot.  
She folded her arms guiltily, that could probably be taken as a no.  
"I thought that... I raised you better than that, Iris."  
Well, if she was willing to forgive him for being an absolute douchebag to her earlier there was absolutely no chance of that now, he crossed a line, although it was probably for her own good, he crossed a line.  
"We are gonna talk about this when I get home later, maybe then you'll have an answer for what the hell is going on with you."  
"Dad-" she tried to reach out to him but he had already walked off, now Barry was left alone with Iris to face the music.  
He looked at her like he knew he fucked up, but not so much with any remorse. For the most part, he wasn't sorry, she was being reckless and irresponsible, if he couldn't stop her from putting her life in danger, maybe Joe could.  
She looked absolutely devastated, however. Barry knew that Joe and his daughter were super close, they had a better relationship than most fathers and daughters, now Barry might have just ruined that.  
"Are you happy now?" She said finally, her tone was calm, though the tears slid down her face in intervals, "Breaking me wasn't enough, so you had to break my relationship with my father too? Do you hate me that much?"  
"I don't hate you," he said immediately, and he hadn't the slightest clue where it came from, just kind of came out.  
"You don't? Because it kinda feels like you do; why else would you have just done that?"  
"I-I was trying to..."  
She waited expectantly for his answer.  
"That's what I thought. Maybe...maybe we're just toxic, I don't know. What I do know is that for right now, I can't be around you."  
"I'm sorry that..." he meant to continue by saying 'I was such a douchebag to you' but instead he said, "...you feel that way."  
Then she laughed, she actually laughed.  
"You're unbelievable, do you know that?" She chided him, "Did you know that part of the reason I came here tonight was to apologize to you?"  
If that was a ploy to make him feel like shit, it kinda worked.  
"Yeah, I thought about what you said and I thought that I should be the bigger person and just own up. After all, it's because of me that your girlfriend ended things, but why can't you admit that it's just a little bit because of you too?"  
"Iris, I-"  
"I can see now that an apology was a mistake...bye, Barry."  
She walked off before he could even begin to formulate a sentence, that being said, he probably deserved that and anything else that she decided that she wanted to do him.  
He was alone for the second time that day.

 

"Barry Allen! Can you hear me?!" Cisco might have just about burst his eardrums trying to call him if he wasn't in such a daze.  
"I'm sorry, dude, what?" Barry asked distractedly.  
"Where the hell have you been these past few days? You've been here for like a half an hour and so far you've been about as much help as H.R usually for the entire day, which by the way is no help at all."  
"Hey, I contribute," H.R shot back, "Maybe not in a blatant way like you or Dr. Snow here, but I help in my own special way."  
"Whatever makes you feel good about yourself."  
"Excuse me..." H.R went trailing after Cisco who was already running away towards the door, covering his ears like a child, "I am a very pivotal part..."  
Soon they couldn't even be heard anymore, thank god.  
Caitlin was left in the room with him, she didn't say anything, but he could tell by the way she was smashing the keys on the keyboard that she was not a happy camper right now. It had been a few days since the break up with Patty but this was the first time he had actually been alone with Caitlin.  
"Look I know you're mad at me, but don't take it out on that poor keyboard, I'm the one you want," he tried a joke to ease the tension, it didn't work. If anything she was even more angry now.  
"I'm not laughing, Barry."  
"I know...I take it you and Patty had a talk."  
"She came to my apartment a few nights ago crying, Barry, she was devastated. What you did to make her so angry I don't know and honestly, I don't care; probably because I already know the answer."  
"She didn't tell you?"  
She scoffed, "She said she didn't want to talk about it."  
He nodded solemnly, Patty loved to talk, she must have really been in a mess.  
"Look, Cait, I know that I messed up...maybe I should go talk to-"  
"No, you have done enough!" She yelled, and whoa, "Just leave her be, she's better off without you."  
He didn't know how else to respond to Caitlin yelling at him, so he just sat there, seriously, he just sat there. It was kind of awkward actually, probably not really the effect she was going for.  
"Sorry, I- sorry, I shouldn't have yelled, that wasn't called for."  
"Caitlin, are you-"  
"I'm fine," she insisted, like she was aggravated with that question already, "I just haven't been getting very much sleep lately."  
"So you're...cranky?"  
"No, I'm mad at you."  
"I think that can be considered as being cranky."  
"Don't try to make me laugh, Barry."  
"Sorry, you can be mad."  
"Oh, I plan to be."  
Jeez, what did he do?  
"I think your hoodie is vibrating," she pointed out, gesturing to his S.T.A.R Labs jacket which lay discarded on the desk.  
"I'm getting a call, excuse me for a minute."  
"You can be excused for the rest of the evening, if you'd like," she said flatly, "I have some business to attend to, I'll see you around."  
Ugh, angry Caitlin was his least favorite Caitlin, well, right behind Killer Frost Caitlin, who was just plain crazy.  
He looked at his phone screen to see Joe calling him, hopefully not for anything important or to yell at him more, he wasn't in the mood to do anything besides sulk and daydream about a time when his life wasn't as fucked up as it was now.  
"Joe?" He answered.  
"Bar, are you listening to the news right now?" He barely gave him a chance to finish talking.  
"No, I'm...not at home, I'm- what's going on?"  
"Pull up Hot 97 on your phone or something, you need to hear this ."  
"Okay, I'm on it."  
He moved to Cisco's computer system instead assuming it would be quicker. Shit. He had no idea how to work this thing, just buttons and weird knobs everywhere; time to just press everything.  
He used his speed to try different things until he finally got through, he was pretty sure he broke Cisco's computer in the process, but at least he got through.

" _This is a message for the Flash, Central City's so-called hero; I think you know who this is. I think it's high time we met, face to face. I'll be at the corner 9th and and Main Avenue, meet me there at 10 tonight, you and I need to have a little chat. Now, let's be clear, this invitation is strictly for the Flash, anyone else shows up, there will be a price to pay. So what do you say, Flash, do you accept or do you not have the balls?"_

The transmission ended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, babies, so busy. Hope you guys enjoy this little one!


	7. The Iceman Cometh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry tries to fix his mess with Iris being being someone else, also he gets a face to face meeting with Central City's infamous Ice Killer; both meetings turn out to be very eventful.

"You shouldn't go," Cisco said finally, pacing the floor, "You should definitely not go."

  
"What choice do I have?" Barry asked plainly.

  
"The choice of, I don't know, not going! This is obviously a trap, in no movie does what you're considering doing ever end well, ever."

  
"Cisco is right, Barry," Caitlin added, she was still mad but obviously not above him going out to get himself killed, "All things considered, this could be really dangerous, we don't fully know what this guy is capable of."

  
"You guys, I can't chance it... the whole fact that he's dangerous is exactly why I have to go, who knows what he could do if I don't, I can't let him hurt anyone else."

  
"He could hurt you, though," H.R quipped, timidly sipping on his coffee, "Just saying, I'm on your side; complete and utter confidence in you."

  
"I don't know what to do, you guys," Barry sighed, rubbing his neck warily.

  
"I think you should take some time and really think about this," Caitlin decided, "We obviously can't stop you from going but just... take some time to think about this, please."

  
"Okay," Barry acquiesced.  
  


"Sounds like a plan," Cisco nodded, H.R mimicking him in the background. 

  
"Stop copying me," Cisco said blandly.

  
"Sorry," H.R replied immediately, it was like reflex, the two of them.

  
Barry raised his eyebrow and snorted softly, amused by them both.

  
"I'll see you guys later, gonna head back to the precinct."

 

  
The whole station felt like it had been turned upside down, everyone looked like they couldn't tell their heads from their asses. Meanwhile, Captain Singh was using his outside voice, barking out orders to everyone within shouting range. He hadn't seen the place this busy since the attack at the gala the other night.  
Maybe Joe was at his desk, he would talk to him instead, he preferred not been in the Captain's firing range at the moment.  
As he walked up to Joe's empty desk, he noticed Patty's similarly empty desk directly opposite it. Patty had been Joe's partner for the better part of five years, it wasn't long after she moved to Central a City that she and Barry began dating, much to Joe's dismay since he always got a front row seat to all their icky romance sessions. He hadn't noticed until now that Patty had been absent for the past few days, but he was pretty sure he knew the reason why.

  
"Hey, Guevara," Barry called to one of the officers passing by, "Have you seen Detectives West or Spivot around recently?"

  
"Uh, I haven't seen Detective Spivot around here for a while," he said distractedly, tearing through his desk drawer for something, "Word is she was in here a few days ago, asked the Captain for some days off, personal issues."

  
"Did she say how long she would be gone?"

  
"Uh, no, no, not that I know," he answered, Barry appreciated that he was trying so hard not to blow him off, "Detective West is down in the basement though, at least he was five minutes ago...I gotta run, alright? Singh is on my ass, hard."

  
"Take it easy," Barry reminded him as he took off speedily.

  
"Now to find Joe," he whispered quietly to himself.

  
The basement was an absolute dump, no one went down there unless they absolutely had to or unless they really just wanted to be alone.

  
"Joe?"

  
No answer. He could hear the faint, echoing sound of a man's voice repeating words that he couldn't quite understand, over and over again. He soon recognized the voice as the same one from the transmission, Joe kept replaying it as he stood against the recorder with a thoughtful expression on his face.

  
"Joe?"

  
"Do you think he's gonna show up?" Joe asked, he was dismal, distracted, like he was there but he wasn't there.

  
"Who, the Flash? Of course he will."

  
"Why? I wouldn't show up if I were him."

  
Barry regarded him carefully, he was being so strange.

  
"He's gonna show up because... he's a hero," Barry said slowly, like he was explaining something that even a child should understand, "It's his duty, you know that."

  
"He doesn't owe this city a damn thing," Joe retorted, "Its not his duty... this guy is playing him, it's a trap."

  
Funny, Cisco said the same exact thing.  
"Joe, I assure you, the Flash is going to show up and he will take this guy down."  
"You sure have a lot of faith in him," Joe remarked, flashing Barry a knowing look.  
Shit, did he know?

  
"I just... I've seen what he can do, I know him, he'll be there."

  
Joe nodded solemnly, "I just feel like we've got this bastard right here, right in the palm of our hand, but it's never that easy, is it?"

  
"Never," Barry agreed.

  
"I feel all but useless going into this thing, I want to call this guy's bluff but I just get the feeling something terrible is going to happen if we show up there tonight; maniacs like him most of the time mean business."

  
"This is something that the Flash has to do alone, as much as we may not like it."  
Joe looked worried and Barry gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

  
"It's going to be okay," Barry said confidently, "We're gonna get him... who knows, maybe the Flash will have something up his sleeves."

  
Joe chuckled, "So, now we wait, huh?"

  
"Now we wait."

 

The day only felt like it was getting longer instead of shorter in the time leading up to 10 o'clock tonight. Time stretched, long and drawn out towards a time that he was definitely not looking forward to. He had considered Caitlin and Cisco's concerns over him going to meet with the mystery killer but he couldn't bring himself to back away from the challenge before him, this guy was unpredictable, volatile, who knows what he could bring on the entire city and also Iris by not showing up? He'd basically convinced Joe that the Flash was going to show up tonight but within himself, he was having doubts. Showing up could give the impression that he could be summoned like a lap dog, that he was on a leash, and that most definitely not the case. Maybe Central City needed to send a message that it was not afraid, but that was no one's bitch either.  
He was getting that thing again where he felt like all his thoughts were backing up inside his brain, he needed to vent, let out some steam, talk to someone, except that all his lifelines were gone.  
Patty was no longer in the picture and he couldn't even really talk to her about these kinds of problems that he was having anyway. Caitlin was pissing mad at him, and Iris was just not even wanting to see him, at least for a very long while. Besides all that, there was only one person out of the three that he really wanted to talk to anyway.  
He was an asshole, he was hasty, he'd known he was hasty, but in the moment he couldn't hold himself back. He let his feelings in the moment cloud his judgment and now he was paying the price. He didn't mean any of those things that he said, just empty words.  
He couldn't talk to Iris, at least, not as Barry Allen. His alter ego always seemed a better man than him anyway. It was unethical, what he was about to do, but he had already proven to himself that ethics weren't relevant when it came to Iris West.  
He had time, just about a half hour till 10 o'clock; he had to see her. He donned his Flash suit and sped over to Jitters where Iris was supposed to be just finishing up her shift. He had unashamedly stalked her till he finally memorized her shifts and working hours, he had told himself it was for the sake of keeping her safe just to make himself feel like less of a creep.  
He went around to the back alley of the building, scattering some loose papers as he skidded to a halt. If his timing was right, it was just about that time when she came to the back alley to throw out the trash. He recognized one of the papers blowing with the wind to be the front page of the day's newspaper. The headline read: 'Reign of Terror' obviously referring to the current crime situation that was taking place in the city.  
Right on time, he saw Iris come through the back door with 2 bags of garbage in her hands as she headed toward the dumpster. How could she look so beautiful even with trash in her hands?

  
"Iris West," he called out to her using his vibrating voice, she all but dropped the bags on the ground.  
He stood afar off in the cover of some building shadows so it would be harder for her to recognize him.

  
"Are you... the Flash?" She asked, squinting her eyes to try to get a better view of him, every time she took a step toward him, he took a step back. He was running out of building cover to hide under, if all else failed he would vibrate his molecules causing his body image to appear disfigured to her eyes, that was in case of emergencies.

  
He chuckled softly, "You've heard of me."

  
"Who hasn't heard of you? You're like a legend around these parts."

  
"Nice to be appreciated, Miss West."

  
"Do you mind me asking how you know my name?"

  
He paused a while. He had to be very careful how he answered this question.  
She waited, fascination was keeping her occupied, thankfully.

  
"We have a mutual friend," he said finally, that should do it without giving too much away.

  
"Really? Who might that be?" She tried.

  
He remained silent, letting her know that he was never ever going to answer that question.  
She gave a slight smile in return and nodded her understanding.

  
"So, what can I do for Central City's hero? I can't see you that well from where I'm standing since you insist on hiding from me, but even from here I can feel that you've got something on your mind."

  
"Am I that transparent?"

  
"To a complete stranger too," she said laughingly.

  
He bowed his head and took a real good laugh, he had missed this, he'd missed her. He'd missed their banter, how she made him feel, even as the Flash she had the same effect on him.

  
"Well, from where I'm standing I can see you perfectly, and you seem sad."

  
Her smile faded, "Just some life issues, I won't bore you with the details, besides, we're talking about you here."

  
"Right," he said softly.

  
Was it completely wrong that he was trying to fix his Barry Allen problems with her by talking to her as the Flash? Absolutely. Was he going to stop? Absolutely fucking not.

  
"I hear you've got a challenge on your hands."

  
"You know about that?"

  
"Of course I do, I'm not a hermit, it's all over all the radio stations right now...what are you going to do?"

  
He couldn't even answer that question himself, "I know what I should do, but I don't know what I'm going to do."

  
"Ah, so you're torn," she replied understandingly.

  
"Extremely," he confessed, "I know that I should go, I'm afraid of what could happen if I don't."

  
"Dangerous volatile murderer, I understand," she said, "But at the same time, you need to consider that this may be a trap and you're considering walking right into it."

  
If he had a dollar for every time he heard that for the day, he'd have three dollars.

  
"I know you think you have some sort of an obligation to this city, and for the most part, you do, but the real injustice would be putting yourself out there in harm's way; this city would already be a hellhole of it wasn't for you."

  
She couldn't see that he was blushing, but he was most definitely blushing, ego-stroking was his favorite thing ever, especially from the person who mattered the most.

  
"Like I said before," he stated, pulling himself together, "Nice to be appreciated."

  
"Big fan over here," she admitted, "I-I even wrote a few articles on you, just scrap, nothing official."

  
"I'd like to read them sometime."

  
"No, they're- not that good, like I said, just some spare time I had and..."

  
"I'm sure they're amazing, I really would like to read them sometime," he insisted, he felt so damn comfortable around her right now that if she realized who he was right now, he probably wouldn't even care.

  
"Um-" she stammered, he wondered why, was he being too pushy?

  
"We don't have to make it like a date," he chuckled, "Just quality time reading quality articles, unless I'm intruding and you already have someone."

  
"I'm not-" she sighed deeply, "I don't know, there's... a lot going on with me right now on that front, it's complicated."

  
"In what way?" He pushed, he knew he shouldn't, but he did.

  
"I shouldn't be talking to you about this," she decided, "I don't know you, you don't know me."

  
"I could if you let me," he said, feeling unusually brave in the moment.

  
She paused, she seemed lost for words, or confused was more like it.

  
"Did I say something wrong?" He asked.  
"No, um- I have a friend," she began slowly, "I thought that maybe things could... work out between us, but recently he's shown me that maybe that's not the case, I don't know what's happening, I don't know where we're at, I don't know what I'm supposed to do or if... I should just leave it alone or..."

  
"Can I give you some friendly advice?" He offered.

  
"We're friends now?"

  
"I think so," he smirked, "Want the advice or not?"

  
"Let's hear it."

  
"If any guy is lucky enough to earn himself a spot in your life, as a friend or anything more, he's got to be damn good person."

  
He could see that he had her full attention now.

  
"I'm a believer in second chances, and third and fourth, I don't know how badly this guy messed up..."

  
They both laughed a little, not like two strangers laughing at a joke, like two people who were comfortable around each other, who knew each other.

  
"...But I'm sure, if he hasn't done it already, he's gonna realize what a fool he's been and he's gonna make things right."

  
"Are you sure about that?"

  
"Yes, I am."

  
She nodded thoughtfully, "I will keep that in mind... thank you."

  
He was itching to make a comment about that last part but he held his tongue.  
"My pleasure, Miss West."

  
"So, don't let me keep you, I'm sure you've got some kind of mental preparation to do before your meeting tonight."

  
"Wait, I thought you told me not to."

  
"I said nothing of the sort, Flash," she smirked cunningly, "I said that you may or may not be walking into a trap and that you need to be on your Ps and Qs, not that you shouldn't go... that son of a bitch needs to know that he doesn't run this town, not anymore."

  
Damn, he had known Iris was a badass but this side of her was downright sexy.  
"I'll send him a warning," he smiled.

  
"It was...interesting meeting you, Flash," she said, she was smiling like she had an inside joke or something.

  
"Same here, Miss West."

  
"Maybe I'll see you around?" She inquired hopefully.

  
"Maybe sooner than you think."

  
With that, he ran off, leaving her in a gust of wind.

 

  
He was waiting, in the middle of a busy street, which was surprisingly not busy at all tonight, at 10 o'clock at night, actually it was 10:01 now. Of course. This asshole was playing him for a fool.

  
"Sorry, I'm late, Flash," a voice said from out of the darkness where a figure slowly emerged from the darkness, "Traffic."

  
Barry immediately felt a chill, a change in the air around him, it became cold like winter was in the air. He could see every breath he took, feel every gust of wind biting into his very flesh through his suit.  
The man remained shrouded in the shadows, a trick Barry knew all too well. His voice was disguised, disfigured, he couldn't put into words the way it sounded, eerie would probably be the best way to describe it.

  
"It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, isn't it?" He boasted.

  
"This isn't funny, I don't like to be kept waiting," Barry spat, his voice also clouded by his bodily vibrations.

  
"Well, we can't all have super speed now, can we?"

  
"I didn't come here to banter, you requested a meeting, here I am."

  
"Yes, here you are, and right on time too, you were really looking forward to this."

  
"You know, for a face to face meeting, there seems to be an awful lack of face, what's with all the secrecy?"

  
"I could ask you the very same thing; you hide behind that mask of yours and claim it's, as you so quaintly put it, 'To protect the ones you love'. But you and I, we don't have to pretend with each other, especially since I already know who you are... Barry."

  
Impossible. How could he have known? The only way he could know who he was if they had met before, but even that wasn't logical.

  
"You know who I am... how?" He asked.

  
He gave him no answer and as much as Barry hated to admit it, he was intimidated. Not so much by his power, but there was something so menacing about him, something so sinister. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but it was evident.

  
"How?!" He shouted, demanding an answer.

  
"I know a great many things, Barry... would you believe me if I said I met you in another life?"

  
"Bullshit, enough games," he ground out, "Tell me what you want, or this meeting is over."

  
"Oh, come now, Barry, don't you know it's rude to walk out on someone? Especially when they've got something that you cherish so much..."

  
What was that supposed to mean?

  
"What are you talking about? Tell me."

  
No answer.  
Barry was losing patience. This was a smokescreen, he was trying to him, get him to lose control, and it was working.

  
"I've had enough of you, you may have had this city in your grasp for the past few weeks but that ends tonight, I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else."

  
"Tall words," the man teased, "As much as I would like to see you try and stop me, I'm afraid I'm going to have to snow on your parade. You see, unlike you, I have a backup plan."

  
"What plan is that?" Barry growled.

  
"Ah, I see I have your attention now... Right under your very feet, there are 4 motion sensors all around me and you with a radius of about 5 kilometers each, these sensors are triggered by any moving object with speeds from 50 to 2,500,000 miles per hour. If triggered, they immediately emit a field of coldness that will kill the average human being instantaneously... absolute zero, even you won't survive."

  
Shit. He hadn't even realized, that was what he got for not taking Iris' advice about being on the alert, he couldn't use the one strength that he had in his arsenal.

  
"Who are you?" Barry asked suspiciously, maybe a good monologue would give him a chance to think of a good plan.

  
"You know who I am, you just have to dig a little deeper."

 

Barry grimaced, this guy was deliberately trying to make him lose his cool. If he just decided to use his speed, he was a dead man.

  
"You know what always helps jog my memory?" He asked, "A good riddle."

  
"I already told you I'm not playing any games," he ground out.

  
"Oh, I think you'll want to play after I tell you the stakes... I told you I had something you cherished; the love of your life."

  
Barry felt as though his very life force had been sucked from his body. He couldn't even begin to fathom the thought of this sick bastard holding Iris hostage, her being in danger, he'd felt the feeling before and it wasn't one that he was keen on feeling again.

  
"Iris?" He whispered harshly.

  
"Well, I don't believe I mentioned a name but it's romantic that's she's the first person that came to your mind."

  
"What have you done to her?!" He shouted .

  
"I haven't done anything to her, and I won't if you say you'll play my game."

  
Barry felt like he could rip this guy's throat out, literally claw them out with his own nails, till blood was gushing everywhere. Normally, he would never condone such thoughts, but the thought of Iris being in danger, he wasn't thinking straight; he'd use his speed even if it meant his end if he could just save her.

  
"Iris has nothing to do with this," he said firmly, but he couldn't keep back the slight trembling that crept into his voice, "This is you and this is me, no one else."

  
"On the contrary, Ms. West has a bigger part to play in all this than you think... in due time, Barry, you'll know all there is to know. There's a time and a place for everything, but until that time, say you'll play my game?"

  
Barry was breathing heavily by this time, he didn't want to just play along like some fucking puppet, but if he had to, he would.

  
"Fine," he growled, "I'll play."

  
"Smart man," the man answered, Barry could hear the sick laugh in his voice as he spoke, "So here are the rules: You answer my riddle, you will be allowed five minutes in which to do so or your love Iris, she dies."

  
"If you lay a hand on her, I swear to God I will kill you," Barry seethed.

  
"You don't have the spine," the man chuckled darkly, "You never did... so then, Barry, riddle me this:  
As beautiful as the setting sun  
As delicate as the morning dew  
A gift from the universe  
Numbing to body and soul

...What am I?"

"What?"

  
Maybe if his head wasn't so clouded, he would have been able to make sense if that, but right now all he could compute was saving Iris, everything in between made no sense.

  
"T-minus 5 minutes and counting, Flash."

  
"Wait, I don't understand," Barry begged.

   
"I figured you wouldn't. I'll tell you what; being the nice guy I am, I'll allow you to get a little help. I've disabled my motion sensors, run along now, but remember, this is a race against time."

  
"And now that you've disabled your motion sensors, what's to stop me from taking you down right now?" Barry growled.

  
"Killing me won't prevent Iris' death, but rather, prolong it, make it more painful... so instead of looking for a way out of this, I suggest you accept the small mercy I've just extended to you."

  
"How are you able to do all of this?"

  
"When you possess power, real power, like I do, you'd be surprised how much loyalty you can conjure out of people. Right now, Barry, I am omnipotent. If you try anything, if you go looking for her, I will know, and I will kill her. Now I'd hurry if I were you, time is ticking."

Without even realizing it, Barry ran, he ran like he never ran before, he was at S.T.A.R. Labs before he knew it. His friends were the smartest people he knew, if they couldn't help him, he was convinced no one could.

  
"Everyone stop what you're doing, now! I need your help!"

  
"Whoa, whoa, what's all the hype about?" Cisco asked, while Caitlin and H.R. Just exchanged puzzled looks.

  
"As beautiful as the setting sun  
As delicate as the morning dew  
A gift from the universe  
Numbing to body and soul

...What am I?"

Everyone just stood still for a while, he could understand how this might be a little confusing.

  
"Did you just tell us... a riddle?" Caitlin questioned.

  
"Yes, it's a riddle and I need the answer in like, less than 4 minutes or he's going to kill her," Barry blurted out breathlessly, "Please, just help me."

  
"Wait, wait," Cisco held up his arms, trying to gather sense out of this whole ordeal, "He who? Kill who? What the heck is going on?"

  
"Iris. That maniac has her..." he explained.

  
"Wait, the ice killer, you met with him?" Caitlin asked, outraged, "And you didn't tell us? Barry, you could have been killed!"

  
"This isn't about me! This is about Iris and right now, her time is running out!" Barry yelled frantically, "I promise, I will explain this later, right now I am begging for your help, please!"

  
"Okay, okay!" Cisco agreed, smoothing his hands through the roots of his hair, "Just give us a second?"

  
Everyone in the room reasoned quietly amongst themselves, it took a while before someone actually said an idea out loud.

  
"Guys, come on, I'm open to any and every option; there are no dumb answers here," Barry assured.

  
"Um, a comet?" Cisco asked.

  
Dumb answer.

  
"Already thought of that," Barry sighed stressfully, "Doesn't fit in with the last part."

  
"Rain?" H.R. tried.

  
"That doesn't fit either, come on, guys, we're running out of time..."

  
"A shooting star?" Caitlin asked.

  
"Warmer, but still doesn't fit perfectly... it's got to be right under our noses, come on!"

  
"We can't think straight when you're screaming us!" H.R. cried, panicking.

  
"Everyone stop panicking!" Cisco yelled, trying to speak over all the voices in the room.

  
"We're not panicking, you're panicking," Caitlin explained calmly, "We can do this, everyone just needs to relax."

  
"We don't have time to relax, almost a minute again," Barry warned.

  
"Caitlin is right," H.R. said slowly, everyone just needs to chill, seriously, just chill-"

  
"Hang on," Barry interrupted, "A gift from the universe... numbing to body and soul... chill, coldness...."

  
"Snow," Caitlin smiled triumphantly, "Way to go, H.R."

  
"Happy to bless you all with my genius," H.R grinned.

  
"Barry, the time," Cisco warned, pointing at the clock on the wall.

  
Shit, he was out of time, it was already a second past the 5 minutes he was allotted.

He blew down the streets of Central City to stop in the same spot where he left off.

  
"Snow! The answer is snow! I solved it!" Barry yelled breathlessly, he might have actually burnt out his boots for how fast he just ran, that had to be a new record.

  
"You're late," the man scolded, "By a second, yes, but you are a speedster, I think I've allowed you more than enough exceptions where time is concerned."

  
"No, please," Barry begged, "Please don't, don't do this; I will do anything, whatever you want, I swear I will do it, just don't hurt her!"

  
He wasn't thinking about what he was saying, he wasn't thinking about what he was promising, he wasn't thinking about anything except Iris.

  
"Well, isn't this something?" The man bragged, "Central City's hero, begging, like a dog."

  
His pride be damned, he didn't care, so long as Iris was safe.

  
"I'm not too proud," Barry admitted, "Just please, don't hurt her."

  
"Can I tell you a secret, Flash?" The man began, "I'm a romantic at heart, and my heart, cold as it may be, it goes out to you. You wanted me to spare her, well, maybe I did...maybe I didn't. You have my permission to go find out."

Oh god, was she...  
Tears streaked Barry's face, he rose from the ground where he knelt, he didn't even know he did that, it was like his mind and body didn't even belong to him anymore. But the one thing he could still do was run, run to Iris, he didn't know in what state he would find her in, but all he knew was that he was running to her.

  
"Iris!" He called as he entered the West's house, he didn't have time for formalities like knocking on the door, so he simply phased through. He would deal with the breaking and entering later.

  
"Iris! Are you here?!"

  
He blew through the house like a tornado, checking every room except one, her bedroom. He couldn't bear to see her dead, lifeless. He was reminded of a dream he once had when he was still with Patty, Iris laying dead in his arms. Her body was cold, stiff, blood dripped from her wound onto him, he felt as though he could smell it burning his nostrils even now. He felt sick to his stomach, but he had to know.  
He turned the doorknob quickly, like ripping off a band-aid, and sure enough, there she was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like, this took me a bit long to do but I got through eventually lol  
> Sorry for the cliffhanger ending, I literally did it because I wanted to post the chapter quick and was out of time.


	8. What Dreams are Made of

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry tries to protect Iris by any means necessary, meanwhile, everything seems to be pulling him in another direction.

There she was.

  
She was... fine. She was fine.  
She was laying in bed on her laptop typing something, earphones fastened in her ears, which explained why she couldn't hear him calling, but she was okay.

She gasped loudly as she saw him, removing her earphones and sliding her laptop off her legs to fly off the bed in surprise.

  
"It's okay," he assured her, vibrating his body immediately, "It's only me."

  
"It's you..." she remarked, looking at him intently, "How did you get in here?"

  
"The door, I..." he trailed off, she didn't seem to be in danger in the least, "It's a bit difficult to explain- are you okay?"

  
She gave him a look, she had no idea what was going on whatsoever.

  
"I'm fine," she said, confused, "Is everything alright?"

  
"I'm not sure," he admitted, truthfully, he felt like he was losing his mind a little, "Were you ever in any danger?"

  
"I've been home for a little while now, got off from my shift at work, no one tried to hurt me..."

  
He knew he could trust her, still his eyes danced over her body wildly to check for any signs of hurt, to truly make sure that she was okay.

  
"It was a trap," he whispered to himself.

  
"What was?" She inquired, "Am I in some sort of trouble?"

  
He didn't answer, he was lost in his own thoughts, trying to make sense of it all. Maybe he was supposed to think this was a trap, predictability could have been his downfall. Sure, Iris was fine now, but what about the minute he left? Her life could have been in danger at any given time, and that was something he couldn't leave to chance.

  
"I'm sorry, Miss West," he said finally.  
"Sorry, for what?" She chuckled, "Coming into my house without permission?"  
"No, for this..."

  
Without warning, he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her over the CCPD and speeding off immediately. He didn't even see the look on her face, although he was pretty sure he wouldn't have wanted to. Unfortunately, that was the only way he could have made sure she was safe, fast as he was, even he couldn't be in two places at once. He took the time to turn back into Barry Allen and head back to the precinct, he had already gone missing mysteriously at the exact time when the Flash was supposed to meeting the Ice killer and Joe was probably wondering where he was, he was also probably wondering what Iris was suddenly doing there. That one was on him.

  
Barry entered the precinct cautiously, he felt all twitchy and on edge, even in a building full of cops. Truth was, he was spooked, going up against someone who proved to be more powerful that he was, which was hardly ever the case. He was looking over his shoulder, maybe people he thought he knew may not have been who they said they were, the man did say he was omnipresent.

  
Just in the distance, he saw Joe talking to Iris, or rather, he looked like he was trying to calm her down, he did take her a bit by surprise. Her hair was all over the place and she looked confused as hell.

  
He knew neither of them were too keen on him at the moment but his intentions were good. He was just making his way over to them both when-

  
_Buzz. Buzz._

  
He was getting a phone call... from an unknown caller. He hesitated, he knew who it was but he didn't want to answer.

  
_Buzz. Buzz._

  
He looked around to make sure the coast was clear for the conversation he was about to have, hopefully it wouldn't be a long one, the less contact he had with this creep, the better.

  
"Hello?" Barry answered, making sure to keep his voice low.

  
" _Quite the goose chase I sent you on, wasn't it?_ " The man chuckled, " _See how I can make you dance?_ "

  
"You son-of-a-bitch, you think this is funny?"

  
" _It wasn't meant to be a joke, Barry, it was meant to remind you that no matter how strong you think you are, you have a weakness. Every man has an Achilles Heel, and I've found yours; it wasn't difficult._ "

  
"Why did you spare her?" Barry asked, "You said it yourself, she's my weakness, if you really wanted to break me, you would have taken the opportunity."

  
" _I don't just want to break you, Barry, I want to destroy you, make you suffer... but all in due time... all in due time."_

_  
Click._

  
Barry was breathing heavily, he felt like his chest would explode with pure rage, he was seeing red again. He almost felt like he was going to lose control when the strangest thing happened, he heard her, Iris, the sound of her voice in the distance. There was no mistaking it, it was smooth, like silk, just like the first time he'd ever heard it.

  
"I don't know how else to explain it, dad," she sighed loudly, "One minute I was at home, in my room, listening to my music and the next thing I know, I'm here."

  
Her voice... it was calming him, he felt himself breathing more steady, more relaxed. She was actually calming him down, without even trying, like Betty and the fucking Hulk.

  
"Iris, I heard you the first time, but people don't just teleport..." Joe insisted, and Iris rolled her eyes in aggravation.

  
"How else would I have just appeared here, and why would I be wearing this?" She motioned to her body where she was wearing a loose fitting grey dress, or shirt, he couldn't really tell, and her feet were bare.

  
"Now hang on, I'm just trying to piece all this together, same as you, I'm not calling you a liar."

  
"But what, you don't believe me either?"

  
"Hey," Barry interjected, as both Joe and Iris turned to look at him, very much in sync, "Is everything okay?"

  
Iris looked away from him uncomfortably while Joe fastened his gaze on him intently.

  
"Yeah..." Joe said slowly, "Everything is just great, just having a little talk with my daughter."

  
'My daughter', that sounded a lot like 'Stay the hell out of our business' to him.  
"He thinks I'm crazy," Iris mumbled under her breath.

  
"I do not think you're crazy, Iris... just, a little explanation would be nice."

  
"Wait, what happened?" Barry asked, feigning confusion.

  
"Iris claims-" Joe began, before being cut across by Iris.

  
"It's nothing," Iris said firmly, "Just a little misunderstanding, now if no one else wants to interrogate me, I think I'll be heading back home now."

  
Joe and Barry remained silent, Barry wasn't talking because he didn't want to piss Iris off anymore than he already had, he didn't know about Joe.

  
"No way, it's after midnight, who knows what kinda maniacs are roaming the city right now, you're gonna stay here until I'm ready to leave and we'll ride home together," Joe demanded.

  
"Dad," Iris said, clearly irritated with Joe's overprotectiveness.

  
"Don't start with me, Iris, this is not up for debate, I suggest you make yourself comfortable because you may be here a while."

  
Iris folded her arms like a petulant child and made her way over to Joe's desk to sit.

  
"What was that all about?" Barry tried, hoping not to get shut down although he already knew the answer.

  
"There's something...that she's not telling me, Iris and I were never the type to keep secrets from each other, but lately..." Joe sighed, rubbing his forehead tentatively, "I don't know, maybe you could talk to her?"

  
"I really don't think I'm the best person for the job right now, Joe," he said, "Last I checked Iris and I weren't really on talking terms."

  
"Is that so?"

  
"You seem surprised," Barry joked, "We're not immune to falling outs."

  
"No, I know," Joe said, "But if I could tell you a secret, that girl over there thinks the world of you."

  
Barry creased his eyebrows, were they talking about the same person?

  
"Who, Iris?" He asked.

  
"Yes, Iris," Joe replied flatly, "Before I knew that you two knew each other, she would be glued to her phone, smiling all the time, and she'd probably kill me for saying this but, blushing too, I think."

  
Well, shit.

  
"Are you serious?" Barry grinned, he couldn't help but to, he wouldn't have have pegged Iris as a blusher.

  
"Very, I was a little concerned until I found out it was because of you, but you're harmless, right?" Joe said, slapping Barry on the back a little harder than he should have.

  
"Right," Barry said uncomfortably.

  
"But the point is, the way her face would light up whenever she heard your name, that look in her eyes... I don't know what exactly you two are at odds about but I know you'll get through it, a little talk goes a long way."

  
Barry nodded his understanding and took a moment to glance at Iris. She was so, so beautiful. She sat at Joe's chair with her bare feet and knees huddled up to her chest, she was absentmindedly blowing a stray strand of hair that repeatedly fell down between her eyes and Barry couldn't stop smiling. He hadn't calculated yet what he would do if she caught him looking at her, which she did, but the look in her eyes was nothing like he'd expected.

  
Her eyes were soft, delicate, there might have even been a hint of a smile in them, she looked away then.

  
"Okay," Barry agreed, unashamedly staring at her now, he didn't even care if Joe saw him, "I'll talk to her."

  
"Well, go on then, the girl doesn't have all night."

  
Barry actually was kind of cool how Joe was being like the supportive father pushing him to go talk to the girl of his dreams, except that the girl of his dreams was actually his daughter... and now it was just a little weird.

  
"I'll go," Barry said, more to himself than to Joe, "I'll go talk to her."

  
He was pretty much just whispering words of encouragement to himself as he was making his way over there, lord knows he needed it.

  
He was almost there, almost, he was feeling much more confident than he should have been given the state of things. He had no idea what in the hell he was going to say to her but that was okay, just walking up to her was the hardest part.

  
She had turned her chair to face the opposite direction so that she couldn't see him coming. It actually kind of annoyed him that he was acting like a nerd going up to talk to his crush for the first time; he was fixing his hair, and checking his teeth for food residue and all that great stuff. That was what Iris West did to him.

  
"Iris?" He called out timidly from behind her.

  
No answer. Maybe she didn't hear him, to be fair, he was speaking a bit soft.

  
"I-Iris?" He tried again, a little more volume this time.

  
Same as before.

  
"Look, I know that you're still, maybe, mad at me for what I did the other day but....your dad- Joe just reminded me that what we have, it's something special and I am so sorry if I ruined that."

  
He decided to be a bit bold and touch her shoulder, in the process rolling the chair around to face him, he had to look her in the eyes.

  
"I just want another chance, maybe we can start-"

  
He stopped mid-sentence as he looked at her, she was lifeless, pale, and as he looked lower he saw a large hole through her chest, gushing with blood. The smell of it, god, the smell of it. It made him sick like he never felt before.

  
He recoiled in horror as the reflex action finally kicked in, nearly bumping into a passerby officer.

  
"Hey, Allen? You okay?" The officer asked, casually, "Look like you've seen a ghost."

  
Why was nobody as freaked as he was, was no one else seeing this?

  
"She-Iris..." he tried to get out, his eyes wide and absolutely terrified as he pointed at her.

  
"Barry?" Iris called slowly.

  
Her voice was like a drop of water in a dry desert. He didn't know what was happening, one minute she was a corpse right before his very eyes, the next she was walking up to him, cradling his face in her delicate hands. Ghost? No.

  
"Are you okay?"

  
"No," he cleared his throat, his eyes felt like they couldn't even focus, he felt like he was going to pass out and she could probably tell, by the way she and everyone else was looking at him, "I think that- I'm just losing my mind a little, and I have to- I have to go."

  
"Barry?" She repeated as he removed her hands from his face.

  
"No, I'm fine, I just really need to go."

  
And with that, he ran out the doors of the precinct to the parking lot. He was hoping to at least get clear of the building before it all came back up but no such luck.

  
He threw up, and threw up, and threw up until he was retching, nothing left. He hesitantly wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt, not even bothered with the smell, mainly because the smell of Iris' blood was still blocking up his nostrils. How could something what wasn't real have such a debilitating effect on him?

  
"You're not okay," Iris' stated, matter-of-factky, she stood afar off, cloaked in Joe's jacket, she looked worried, and this was a good thing, at least she cared about if he was dying or not, that was a plus.  
He remained in his position, hunched over, hands against his thighs, classic puking position, and shook his head.

  
"I'm going to call an ambulance," she said quickly, pulling her phone from her pocket to dial.

  
"No, no, just- come here, let me look at you," he demanded.

  
"Look at me? What do you mean?" She inquired as he reached for her, pulling her towards him by the lapels of her coat, she didn't even have time to resist.

  
She gasped at the unexpected proximity between them as he pulled her close enough for their clothes to touch.

  
"Just need to see," he muttered distractedly as he began undoing the buttons on her coat.

  
"Barry, what-" she made to push his hands away from her but he held onto hers first.

  
"Please... just let me," he pleaded, and he wasn't sure what she saw in his eyes but whatever it was, it made her surrender to him, "Please."

  
She nodded cautiously, lowering her hands and allowing his to do as they would.

  
He undid her two buttons and opened the coat wide so he could get an good view of her, he had to make sure it wasn't real.

  
He inhaled sharply when he saw her, her flawless body, all her curves and edges, she was perfect. So perfect. Not an inch of her delicate brown skin had been marred, no wounds, she was okay. Still, he wasn't satisfied. He needed more than just the sight of her, he needed to physically make sure, or maybe he just wanted to touch her.

  
He reached his hand to her chest where the gaping wound was in his vision and lightly placed his palm against it. He closed his eyes and felt, felt her heart beating, he noted that it wasn't racing, it was just steady, He hadn't even considered that he hadn't asked her permission to touch her like this.  
He opened his eyes to see her looking at him with those doe eyes, he couldn't quite read her expression yet.

  
"I'm sorry," he said quickly, slowly pulling his hand away from her body, "I shouldn't have just-"

  
"It's okay," she said softly, taking his large hand in her small one and placing it back over her chest.

  
He shuddered quietly, she was making him dizzy, she was making him hard, she was making him lose himself and he absolutely loved it.

  
Soon his hand that was on her chest was on her waist, the other eventually joining in then his hands were just roaming all over her body. In all the movement, her jacket fell from off her shoulders and onto the ground.

  
"My dad's jacket..." she murmured.

  
"Leave it."

  
"I'm cold," she complained and the both of them snickered quietly.

  
He wished he could stay in this moment forever, the two of them, no one else, nothing else but the feeling of her beneath his palms, the taste of her on his lips, he wished he could live her, breathe her.

  
"Maybe in a perfect world," he whispered to himself, he didn't really intend for her to hear it.

  
"What?" She murmured.

  
He sighed deeply, the thought of removing his hands from her was physically painful for him, but he had to let her go, maybe in more ways than one.

  
"Nothing, I'm sorry for all this, I just needed to make sure of something."

  
"Needed to make sure my body was still the same as when you touched it the last time?" She asked, amused.

  
"Something like that," he answered flatly as he dusted her jacket and gently placed it back around her.

  
"Well, do you want to come back inside with me? Maybe we can talk a bit over some hot coffee?"

  
"I can't," he said immediately, withdrawing from her, not with ease, "I have to go."

"You have to go? Well, can't you just stay for a bit, I mean, after what happened in there I'm not sure that you should really be alone right now."

  
"I'm fine," he said gruffly, being intentionally rude.

  
She scoffed lightly, "So all that stuff you were saying about starting over and wanting another chance, that was what? Bullshit?"

  
"I'm sorry, you should go back inside, you're not wearing any shoes and it's not safe out here."

  
Then he left her, he just left her, standing in the cold, alone. Of course, he would lurk somewhere she couldn't see him until she went back to the precinct, but he left her, he actually left her.

  
It was better this way, probably. Being around her, being so close to her was putting her in danger, the man said it himself, she was his weakness. If anything had happened to her, anything at all, he could never forgive himself. The vision that he had was just a perfect example of what could happen if he continued to play with fire. He loved her and he was in love with her, but he couldn't be with her, not until this killer was taken down for good. And after what he just did, he doubted there was any room in her heart for a third chance.

 

  
He had to go check in at S.T.A.R. Labs, that was the only other part of his life that seemed to make sense anymore. He ran in amongst the team, moving to stand in the center of the floor.

  
"Barry!" Caitlin called as she flew up from her seat, alerting everyone else to his presence.

  
"You're back," Cisco said, smiling, walking up to hug him, "Wait, is Iris okay?"

  
"Are you okay?" Caitlin added.

  
"Iris is fine," Barry said sadly, "Me on the other hand, I'm not doing so good."

  
"Hey, what happened, buddy?" Cisco inquired, rubbing him on the shoulder.

  
"Later," he said dismissively, pulling himself together, "We get any leads on this guy?"

  
"You ask that every time you come here and the answer is always the same," Cisco deadpanned, "He obviously has a plan, I don't think we're gonna find out anything more until he wants us to."

  
"He always says everything will be revealed in time," Barry said thoughtfully.

  
"So we wait?" H.R. asked.

  
"I guess we wait," Barry agreed.

 

 

Barry woke up violently to the sound of glasses clinking. Strange.... he didn't remember going home last night, this wasn't even his apartment, was it even morning?

  
"What the hell?" Barry muttered groggily as he sat upright on the soft cushion of the couch. He didn't recognize the place at all, not even a little. A T.V was on playing some movie he didn't recognize on low volume and somehow the whole thing was a little eerie. He saw a picture from afar off on one of the tables near the kitchen. Someone was in there, the sound of clinking glasses that roused him from sleep made him sure of it. He stood up slowly, being extra careful not to make any noise as he tiptoed to the table holding the picture.

  
As he slowly picked it up he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.

  
"Where am I?" He whispered to himself.

  
"Not where I told you to be, that's for sure," a voice behind him uttered, and he would recognize it anywhere. Iris.  
He didn't turn around, he was still trying to wrap his head around what was happening.

  
"I told you to sit on the couch, don't move and let me do everything, mister," She scolded, holding onto his shoulders from behind and leading him back to the couch. He hadn't seen her yet, to be honest, he was a bit afraid she might disappear if he tried to look at her, after all, the only logical explanation for all this was that he was dreaming.

  
"Now..." she drawled out seductively, turning him around to face her, and damn him for looking down.

  
If this was a dream it was a damn real one. Every inch of her was just as he remembered it, perfect.

  
She wore a tight, short denim pants and a black t-shirt that was tied up high at the back, leaving almost all of her stomach exposed. Her hair was pulled into a slack, messy braid over her right shoulder and her feet were bare. It was like a scene from one of his dreams, literally.

  
"...Be a good boy and sit," she purred as she pushed him gently down onto the couch and made her way back to the kitchen, "And I'll bring us something to eat."

  
Barry was hard. Could he get hard in a dream? No matter, he was hard, and it was painful as hell. Watching her ass sway as she made her way back to the kitchen wasn't helping matters either.

  
"Why were you looking at that picture of us?" He heard her ask from the kitchen.

  
"Um, I-" he stammered quietly, "I guess I just-"

  
"What?" She shouted, trying to throw her voice over the running water in the sink.

  
"I guess I just...like it," he said loudly.

  
"You like it?" She asked in disbelief, "You always told me you hated that photo."

  
"I did?"

  
"Yeah, that's why I had it framed and put on the table right next to the kitchen entrance."

  
Barry chuckled lightly, and he heard her laughing from a distance.

  
"I honestly don't know why you hate it so much, I think you look adorable."

  
"If you say so."

  
"I do say so," she boasted as she emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn in one hand and two glasses of wine in the other.

  
"Wow," he remarked, taking the glass of wine from her hand and sipping immediately as she sat beside him, giving him a glorious view of her perfect ass as she did, "This is nice."

  
"The wine or my ass?" She asked knowingly.

  
"What?" He feigned innocence, stretching his arm over the back of the couch behind her, "I was definitely talking about the wine."

  
"You're a shitty liar, Mr. Allen, always have been."

  
Fuck it. Dream or not, he was going to have his own way.

  
"Maybe not," he chuckled lowly, leaning closer and closer to her, "Maybe you just know me too well, Ms. West."

  
"That's Mrs. West-Allen to you," she corrected him, pulling back to flash a brilliant diamond ring.  
Well, he didn't see that one coming, also, how could he not notice that mountain on her finger?

  
"What?" He asked softly, holding her hand up and examining the ring from all angles.

  
"What?" She asked laughingly, "Don't you remember putting a ring on it?"

  
"I'm sorry, I just... you're my wife?" He asked innocently, eyes alight like a star.

  
"Yeah," she smiled sweetly, gently pulling her hand from his and leaning into him, "All yours."

  
When she kissed him, it was like the most amazing moment of his existence, never mind that he was dreaming, if this was a dream, he definitely did not want to wake up.

  
The taste of her was so intoxicating, the way her tongue was entwined with hers, the way her soft fingers tangled in his mussed up hair, the way she sounded, soft little satisfied moans that he almost couldn't make out were he not trying so hard to hear them.

  
He was a gasping mess by the time her lips left his, then she started another thing, placing light kisses from his lips to his chin, to all around his jawbone. She seductively let her tongue dart out slightly as she went so that he could feel her tongue leaving wet spots on his face.

  
"Iris..." he gasped as she tipped his chin up, making her way down to his neck, he couldn't really talk...or move...or breathe or anything.

  
"Shhh..." he quieted him, opening up the buttons on his shirt to continue the trail of kisses down his chest. At one particular point she gave his skin a small bite and he gave a strangled groan.

  
"Shit...Iris," he moaned, letting his head fall back against the chair head as she moved to straddle him.

  
He couldn't move even if he wanted to, she was on top of him holding him down, his shirt completely unbuttoned now, his chest rising and falling rapidly, he was so gone, he didn't even know he could get this hard.

  
When her lips reached halfway down his torso, she slowly made her way back up, at the same time dragging her hands down his chest, her nails scraping against his chest, leaving trails of pink in their wake, it didn't hurt though, it just felt really damn good.

  
"Look at you," she whispered seductively in his ear, nibbling on his earlobe making him shudder, "I could do anything I wanted to you right now, couldn't I?"

 

"Yes," he breathed, nodding helplessly, because he was.

  
"Would you like me to?"

  
"I- I want you, but..." he trailed off.

  
"But what?" She asked softly, her delicate hands moving to undo his belt as she kissed the sensitive spot behind his ear.

  
He groaned internally and externally, she was making this so hard, so to speak.

  
"This-this is....Jesus....this is a dream..." he finally managed to say.

  
She slowly stopped her ministrations, bringing the hands that were at his pants to cradle his face.

  
"So what if it is?" She asked plainly.

  
"This isn't real," he sighed, placing his hands over hers on his face.

  
"Do you want it to be?"

  
"Iris, this is everything that I've ever wanted since the moment I first talked to you," he said softly, holding her left hand in his, once again and examining her ring.

  
"You could have this," she assured him, tilting his face up to meet hers, "You know what you have to do."

  
"I'm scared to do it," he confessed, squeezing her hand tightly, "If something happened to you, Iris, I could never-"

  
She cut him off with a passionate kiss, making his skin warm once, making him yearn for her in ways he never even knew were possible.

  
"I can't make decisions for you, that's something you'll have to do for yourself... but for right now, let's just enjoy this moment, please."

  
Barry nodded slowly, bringing his lips back to hers, this time he was different, this time he poured his everything into the kiss, his passion, his frustration, his anger, everything. Iris mewled softly, rocking against him, her center making direct contact with his hardness, the feeling was out of this world. He simply could not get enough of her, real or not.

  
He turned the tables, flipping them so that her back was down on the couch and his weight was pressing down on her. They began removing each other's clothes eagerly until there was nothing left between them.

  
"Iris... god, Iris...." he groaned as she held and squeezed his thick length causing him to jerk involuntarily and tighten his grip on her, "Please."

  
"Barry," she moaned, her voice needy and high-pitched as he took one of her brown, hardened nipples between his teeth, tugging gently.

  
"Barry, Barry, Barry..." she chanted breathily as he began to lose himself in her more and more.

  
"Barry...Barry," she continued, but something was wrong, he was looking at Iris face but the voice didn't sound like hers... it sounded a bit like, Caitlin?

  
"Barry....Barry!" Caitlin yelled, making Barry nearly jump out of his skin.

  
"What!" Barry gasped, "I'm up! I'm up, what time is it?"

  
"It's...um, sorry, you.." she stammered as she motioned to his lower half where he could probably pitch a very large tent.

  
"Jesus, sorry," Barry muttered, turning himself around, "Can you just give me a second?"

  
"Sure," Caitlin whispered, looking anywhere else but at him. The two of them were close but not you-can-look-at-my-awkward-boner-it's-totally-cool close.  
Barry was up and back in less than a second.

  
"All good," he said casually.

  
"Wait, what did you do?" She asked, although he could see that she was pretty much cringing inside.

  
"I...took care of it," he said plainly.

  
"Okay, how about we just change this entire topic?"

  
"I completely agree... so let's get back to, what time is it?"

  
"It's 2 P.M, Barry."

  
"Wait, what?! I fell asleep here?"

  
Caitlin nodded as if to say 'obviously'.

  
"Well, I probably shouldn't bother going in to work today...why didn't you guys wake me?"

  
"Cisco and H.R. thought you'd gone home, I did too until I just found you here."

  
Barry exhaled loudly, rubbing his temples tensely, "I don't remember anything about last night."

  
"Did you have a dream about her?"

  
"About who?"

  
"Come now, Barry," Caitlin drawled, giving him a knowing look.

  
"How did you know?"

  
"You may have said her name a few times," she teased, "Sometimes in ways that were not very...appropriate."

  
"Are you serious?" Barry covered his eyes in shame whilst Caitlin had her fun.

  
"I really wish that I wasn't, but I am."

  
"Well, I hope that I didn't scar you too much."

  
"I'll live," she assured him.

  
Barry nodded, thankful that he could always depend on Caitlin not to make awkward situations extremely awkward.

  
"You know, at first, I was not the biggest fan of your....relationship with Iris," she confessed, "You can attest to that."

  
"I can," Barry agreed, "You were a little like the unsupportive big sister."

  
"That's a nice way to put it," she laughed, making Barry smile, "Patty is one my best friends and I am always going to want what's best for her; at the time, that was you..."

  
Barry nodded intently, Caitlin had never opened up like this about him and Patty before, in fact, it was rare for her to open up for anything at all.

  
"...And when Iris came into the picture, I guess I just got a little upset seeing the two of you because I could see from the beginning that what you had with her, you never had with Patty."

  
"There's just something between us, I can't explain it, like an electricity, I guess?"

  
"That's called love, Barry," she smiled tenderly, "Take it from someone who's been deep in it."

  
"I've only known her for a couple of weeks," Barry laughed, the whole thing was a bit out of sorts, like something out of a rom-com.

  
"When its real, sometimes that's all it takes...and if it's all the same to you, I'm ready to start being the supportive best friend again and I'm sorry for being anything less than these past couple of weeks, forgive me."

  
"There's nothing to forgive, Caitlin," he said as pulled her into a warm hug which she gladly returned, "And also, I don't think you'll have to worry much about Iris and I since I'm pretty sure she'll never want to see me again after today."

  
"You did mention that something was wrong yesterday...what happened between you two?"

  
"The ice killer happened," he huffed, "Every time I think that I can be with her, something happens that reminds me that that can't happen; the last time it was my own damn pride that ruined things now it's just too dangerous."

  
"So you're going to stay away from her because you think that by being too close to her, you'll put her in danger?"

  
"He threatened to kill her, Caitlin, because of me, because he wants to make me suffer."

  
"I hate to break it to you, Barry, but whether or not you're with her, this maniac is still going to target her, he knows how much you love her, distance won't change that...so why not spend every minute you can with her?"

  
"I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to her, Cait," he whispered.

  
"The likelihood of that happening is greater if you're not with her," she said firmly, "And you know that, I think the real issue is that you're afraid to be with her...don't."

  
This was why he loved Caitlin.

  
"Can I just mention that you're already doing a really great job being the supportive best friend right now?" He joked.

  
"After you broke my best friend's heart for this girl, you'd better get with her," she laughed.

  
It always took a talk with Caitlin to make everything right, also, the universe obviously wanted him to be with Iris West. What were the chances of him having a dream in which Iris herself is telling him that they should be together and then one of his best friends telling him the same in real life? Pretty fucking slim.

  
"I love that you never have to do much to convince me."

  
"Most times it's just a little push you need," Caitlin said, patting him on back as she stood up, "Let me know how it goes?"

  
"You'll be the first to know," he said, trying to give a confident smile but why did it feel like this was all going to go to shit?

  
Caitlin gave him a quick wink and left the room, now came the hard part for him, he had to go see a girl about an apology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy babiesss  
> So sorry for taking so long on this chapter, a lot going on, also had some writers block, hope you all enjoy 
> 
> P.S. That steamy-ish dream sequence was toned down a lot because I don't want to give all the sexy times away till WestAllen actually happens for real, so enjoy some watered down smut!


	9. Breaking The Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Barry basically spends the entire chapter taking care of a drunken Iris.

"Excuse me, sir," a young, attractive waitress with a high pitched voice called to Barry, "Are you ready to order?"

  
Barry noticed that she came straight to his table whilst everyone else that was there before him was waiting patiently, and hell, if her body language didn't scream 'fuck me'.

  
"Uh, no, I think I need a little more time to make up my mind, thank you," he said politely as the girl stared him up and down, she was definitely fucking him with her eyes, "Maybe in a few minutes?"

  
"Okay, no problem," she smiled seductively, "Just let me know when you're ready for it."

  
Was she still talking about his order? Doubtful.

  
"I will," he promised, not phased by her advances, he only had eyes for one barista.

  
Blowing off work to go to Jitters and enjoy a relaxing afternoon was something he felt like he needed, also, he was waiting for Iris to start her evening shift. She should have been there already and he was getting anxious, not just because he was waiting for her to arrive but because lately, every second of his life was filled with worrying about her safety. If it was up to him, he'd lock her away in a tower and keep her there till he could sort this whole mess out, but Iris was no damsel in distress either, she could hold her own.

  
Ten minutes late. He was this close to asking someone about her whereabouts, nothing wrong with looking a little paranoid. Sadly, there was no one around to ask and he sure as hell wasn't enthusiastic about asking little miss fuck-me behind the counter, although it seemed like he wouldn't have much of a choice.

  
He reluctantly got up and made his way over to the barista, who already had a huge smile on her face as she saw him coming.

  
"Ready for it so soon?" She asked, biting her lip and Barry almost wanted to vomit.

  
"Um, no, I actually wanted to ask you something."

  
"You can ask me anything," she assured him winking flirtatiously.

  
"Okay, Iris West..." he began and he could see her smile fade the exact moment Iris' name left his mouth, guess that was the end of all the flirting, hopefully it was, "I know that she was supposed to start her shift about ten minutes ago, do you happen to know where she is?"

  
"I don't know, you'll have to ask Dave, our manager," she said dejectedly.

  
"Thank you so much for all your help."

  
"Yeah, sure," she replied flatly as she walked away immediately.

  
Sad to say, all the girls who worked with Iris were probably used to this kind of thing.

  
Dave. Barry remembered him from the first night he and Iris spoke, he wasn't really too fond of the guy, but if he helped him get information about Iris, who knew, he might have become his new favorite person.

  
Barry saw him from across the room going through the back door to the alley, this was probably the best chance to confront him.

  
"Dave?" Barry called, causing the man to nearly trip over his own two feet in the alleyway.

  
"Hey, can't a man take a drag in peace?" He complained, trying and failing to light his cigarette, probably because the dumbass was holding the lighter towards the breeze.

  
"If you hold it toward the breeze, it'll never catch," Barry said casually, he didn't even smoke and he knew that.

  
"I know that," the man said ashamedly, doing it properly now, much to Barry's dismay, he always despised the smell of cigarette smoke.

  
"Attaboy, I need your help, I need information."

  
"What kinda information?"

  
"Information on one of your employees, Iris West."

  
Dave looked at him like he was a goddamn menace, clearly he was not the first ever person to ask after Iris since she started working there.

  
"I'm not s'pposed to say anything about it," he boasted, intentionally blowing smoke in Barry's direction, "Confidentiality thing, you know how it goes."

  
"Yeah, sure," Barry agreed, trying to keep his cool for at least a few more minutes, just until he got what he wanted, "But this is important, I'm a friend, she won't mind, trust me."

  
"I just fucking met you, how can I trust you?"

  
How many strikes was that now? Three? Could he kill him now?

  
"Listen, man," Barry said, changing his tone and walking towards Dave intimidatingly, "I don't have time for this shit, Iris might be in danger and you have me here in a fucking alley playing some cat and mouse game? Tell me where she is now."

  
Dave laughed bitterly, spitting out his cigarette and crushing the butt with his shoe heel, "You're way out of your league, little man, you think you can intimidate me?"

  
Barry might have been slightly smaller than him but that didn't say shit, he was going to talk, one way or another.

  
"We can find out, right now."

  
"Don't make me laugh, I got a restaurant to run," he said, walking past and intentionally bumping in to Barry's shoulder as he went back inside.

  
How did he used to think that this guy was alright, again? Total douchebag.

  
Well, Barry was hoping to avoid a scene but if that was the way he wanted to play it.

  
Barry marched back inside behind Dave, spun him around by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.

  
"Listen, I tried to be civil with you, I even helped you light your fucking cigarette so you could take a little smoke, do you know how annoying that shit is? I think the least you could do is tell me what happened to Iris."

  
Maybe he was intimidated by Barry's surprising strength or maybe it was just the embarrassment of being jacked up in front of his own customers, but he was actually cooperative.

  
'Alright, alright...just put me down, man," He huffed defiantly as Barry slowly released him, "She came in here about two days ago, said she was tendering her resignation, something about moving on to better things, I don't know. The point is, she doesn't work here anymore."

  
Iris not working at Jitters anymore? He just couldn't imagine that.

  
"Do you have any idea where she is now?"

  
Dave snorted, "No such luck, we don't keep in contact, no matter how many times I begged her for her number, you don't see beautiful girls like that every day do you know what I mean?"

  
Barry remained silent. He proceeded to leave, everyone, including the baristas were staring at him; some looked impressed, some looked scared, and some people actually started clapping.

  
"I'm gonna miss looking at that girl, especially from the back, I really enjoyed the view, especially when she'd bend over if something 'accidentally' fell on the floor? Fucking amazing."

  
Barry stopped walking, though he was almost towards the door, and slowly made his way back to Dave.

  
He smiled, making Dave smile also, bastard probably thought they were smiling for the same reason.

  
"Dave?" Barry called casually.

  
"Yeah, man?"

  
Without even an indication, Barry sucker punched him snack dead center in the nose, it was the hardest he'd ever punched, ever. That was a definite broken nose. The crowd gasped in surprise at his sudden action... then everyone started cheering and clapping.

  
"You go, boy!" One of the onlookers shouted, "Serves him right, now go get your girl!"

  
Barry smiled and nodded confidently at the man and left immediately, leaving an unconscious Dave behind him.

 

  
Barry was trying not to panic, Iris left Jitters and didn't even tell him; granted, she had no obligation to him, especially since he was an ass to her, twice. Still, it was a little suspicious, to him, he had to see her. He couldn't remember being so indecisive about someone, one minute he wanted to talk to her, the other minute he didn't, one minute he wanted to be with her, the other minute he didn't. She had him flip flopping like crazy.  
Just as he was about to find himself over at Joe's, he got a text.

 

_Meet me @Tijuana downtown asap plz_

 

It was from Iris, which was a bit strange. He didn't think she would want any part of her after their last encounter, and why did she say asap? Also, what the hell was she doing in a place like that?

  
Barry sped over to her location, when he got there, he scanned the area for her immediately; this was not somewhere a young lady should be, ever.

  
Tijuana was apparently one of the most popular bars in downtown Central City, he wouldn't know though, since bars were never really his thing, and not just because he couldn't get drunk.

  
The bar had a sort of Mexican vibe since it was named after a Mexican city, it would be cool were he into that kind of thing.

  
When he walked into the bar, he saw her immediately, he could recognize her even from behind.

  
She was sitting on a stool directly facing the bartender, who she looked like she was having a conversation with, and by conversation, he meant that Iris was chattering away and the bartender was looking down her dress.

  
"...And every time I think that he and I can actually move forward- are you listening to me?" Iris scolded, trying to keep the bartender's attention, "Every time I think that we can move forward, he just goes ahead and-and...."

  
"Fucks it up?" The man finished her sentence.

  
" _Yes!_ Yes, exactly... god, so annoying." She muttered, slurping her beverage noisily with her straw.

  
Barry casually came to sit on the stool beside her and it was amazing how long it took her to recognize him. She literally looked at him twice, like right at him and didn't recognize him.

  
He looked at her expectantly the first time she glanced and she turned away giving him a funny look, as if she was supposed to know he was.

  
Barry rolled his eyes. Seriously?

  
The second time she looked at him, he stared even more intently at her and she actually scoffed, turning her head away.

  
"Doesn't this jerk know it's rude to stare?" She whispered, rather loudly, to the bartender, who just chuckled because obviously she was so damn gone.

  
Barry didn't even try to rush her, she would recognize him eventually, however long eventually might be.

  
The song over the speakers changed from some hip hop song that he didn't know to Ariana Grande's ' _Into You_ '.  
Truthfully, he always kind of thought of this as their song since it was like the first song that they had eye sex to, well, she was the one doing the eye sex and he was just trying hard to hide the tent he was pitching; still and all, it was nostalgic.

  
"God, I _love_ this song," she said quietly to herself, playing with the olive in her drink.

  
"Me too," Barry threw in, hoping she would fucking recognize him this time.

  
"Oh my god, Barry?" She asked in surprise and he pursed his lips in subtle annoyance, "What are you doing here?"

  
Boy, was he in for a night.

  
"You texted me, Iris, asking me to meet you here."

  
"What? No, I didn't. I think I'd remember texting you... here, I'll check my phone and show you."

  
Barry stifled a giggle as he watched her try to grab her phone from out of her pocket, he couldn't help it, she was an adorable drunk.

  
"Got it," she said finally, giving a drunken hiccup, "Are you laughing at me?"

  
"No, no, I'm not- no, " Barry assured her, he didn't want to say yes, she was hammered and volatile, she might have started crying or screaming at him or something.

  
"Better not be," she muttered, pressing down furiously on her iPhone, trying to unlock it, "Why won't this stupid thing * _hiccup*_  work?"

  
"Try turning it upside down," Barry suggested and she gave him a weird look, slowly following his instructions.

  
"It worked!" She gasped in surprise, "You could be like a tactician or something."

  
"Technician," he corrected her, covering his mouth to try and hide the obvious fact that he was dying with laughter and she rolled her eyes.

  
"Tomato, tomah-to, anyway, here's proof that I absolutely....did text you. How do I not remember that?"

  
"It doesn't matter," Barry said, changing the subject, "I'm here now."

  
She scoffed exaggeratedly, "You're here now, but are you gonna run off again, like you did the last time?"

  
"Iris, I-"

  
"Mark, this is the guy that was complaining to you about," she said, folding her arms, dragging the bartender back into the mix.

  
"It's Luke, but, no worries," the man said laughingly, "So, you're Barry Allen? The self-righteous jerk who broke Iris' heart...twice?"

  
"Guilty, I guess," Barry raised his hand weakly.

  
"He is just like the meanest jerk ever * _hiccup_ * and I seriously mean that," she said with an attitude, looking Barry up and down.

  
"Yet you called him to come meet you..." Luke pointed out.

  
Barry cleared his throat loudly, subtly signaling to Luke to not provoke her, poor guy didn't really deserve to learn the hard way.

  
"Something in your throat, Barry? Do you need a drink?" She asked, all concerned like. Yikes, she really was like a roller coaster ride right now. 

  
"No, I'm fine, really."

  
"If you say so..." she said, turning her attention from Barry to Luke, "And to comment on your comment, Barry Allen is a huge jerk but I guess I can't help it that I'm a total sucker for those big, deep green eyes of his, I feel like I could drown in them... don't you?"

  
Barry raised his eyebrows in surprise, rubbing his neck awkwardly, this wasn't really a conversation he really wanted to be having, at any time.

  
"Please, don't answer that," Barry pleaded.

  
"Not a chance," Luke said.

  
"Ugh, whatever," she said dismissively as she stumbled off her stool, Barry's arms instinctively reaching out for her, "I'm going to the bathroom."

  
"Wow..." Luke remarked, mixing a few drinks, "You have got your hands so full with that girl."

  
"She really is the nicest person when she's sober, I swear," Barry said, smiling as he watched her staggering figure struggle to reach to the washroom.

  
"I don't doubt that, she's got quite the personality...and she seems really in love with you."

  
"You think so?"

  
"Absolutely, she hasn't stopped talking about you since she got here, good or bad; I even feel like I know you personally now."

  
Barry chuckled, "Sorry you had to endure that."

  
"No worries, friend. Word of advice, though, grab her and don't let go, because I guarantee you someone else will."

  
Barry gave him a grateful smile and nodded, the universe was definitely insisting.

  
After a few minutes, Iris called in a tiny voice behind him, much different than her previous tone, "Barry, I don't feel so good, will you take me home?"

  
"Of course," he said, rushing to her side and inspecting her, "Did something happen to you?"

  
"No, I just feel sick, really sick," she whined, "I want to go home."

  
"Okay, sweetie, I'll take you home," he said, pulling her close to him, he could feel every part of her through the thin fabric of the black, incredibly tight, sexy dress she was wearing, "Just stay close to me, okay?"

  
"Okay," she agreed, huddling up close to him and smiling.

  
Holding her so close, being this way, it all felt so right.

  
"Buh-bye, Mar-Luke," she yelled to the bartender, who was like right there, by the way.

  
"He's right there, honey," Barry said softly, carrying her out towards the door, "You don't need to shout."

  
"Oh, was I being loud?" She asked, putting her hand over her mouth, as she hiccuped again.

  
"Just a little."

  
"Sorry," she mouthed.

  
"It's alright, let's just focus on getting you home."

  
"What? No, I can't go home," she said, pulling him to a halt in the middle of the bar, "I can't let * _hiccup*_ my dad see me like this, he'll freak."

  
"But you just told me you wanted to go home."

  
"I don't remember that!" She whispered harshly, "But forget what I said, that's not an option."

  
"Then what other option is there, Iris?"

  
"We could... go to your place," she suggested impishly.

  
That was probably the worst idea he'd ever heard, he had to let her know that.

  
"That's probably the worst idea I've ever heard."

  
"Why? I'm sure your place is nice and secure and it'll just be for the night, I'll be better in the morning, I swear."

  
"Iris," he sighed heavily, "No."

  
"Barry," she whined, "Please, I feel so safe with you...please."

  
Barry threw his head back and screwed his eyes shut, trying not to look at her because he knew it was all the way over once he did.

  
"Barry," she said innocently, "Look at my face."

  
"Uh-uh," he said, keeping his eyes tightly shut.

  
"Barry," she called in a sing song voice, bringing her face so close to his that he could actually tell what was the last drink she had.

  
"Please don't do it," he pleaded.

  
"Look," she begged.

  
He hesitantly opened one eye and peeped at her. Fuck. She was doing the most adorable little pout he had ever seen in his life. Fuck. He couldn't say no to her.

  
"Fuck," he groaned and she smiled triumphantly, biting her lip, "Let's go before I come to my damn senses."

  
Iris squealed in delight as she put his arm back around her and continued walking.

  
It wasn't long before she halted him again, "Wait, stop!"

  
"What? What is it?" Barry sighed tiredly.

  
"This song by Ciara, I love it! Let's dance!"

  
"What, no!" Barry whispered, pulling her towards the door whilst she pulled him towards the open floor near the counter.

  
Barry was putting his foot down now, no dancing. The clothes she was wearing plus the way she was looking plus the song that was playing plus him equalled completely embarrassing and painful hard on.

  
"Barry," she whined, "Come on."

  
"Iris, no. We're leaving, now."

  
"I want to dance!" she pleaded, straining to pull him over to where she wanted.

  
"Iris Ann West!" He ground out through gritted teeth, "Don't make me put you over my shoulder."

  
Iris scoffed defiantly, "I dare you to, Bartholomew Henry Allen."

  
Without hesitation, Barry swooped her up effortlessly and swung her over his shoulder.

  
"Hey!" She cried in protest, weakly pounding against his back as he carried her outside; strangely enough, no one even gave them a second look, this kind of thing was probably the norm around here.

  
"If I have to carry you all the way to my apartment, I will, and stop fighting me or I _will_ smack your behind," he said firmly causing her growl in frustration and fold her arms.

  
He got about 2 or 3 blocks before she stopped him again.

  
"Wait, put me down."

  
"Why? So you can try to run away? Not a chance."

  
"No, seriously, like, for real this time."

  
Barry sighed and let her down cautiously, now that he actually looked at her, she wasn't looking so good.

  
"Are you okay? What do you need to do?"

  
"Puke," she said apologetically, "Sorry."

  
"It's okay," he assured her, "Just bend over and go ahead, I'll hold your hair."

  
"Such a gentleman," she remarked drunkenly, right before throwing up her breakfast, lunch and dinner.

  
"Just let it all out," he softly, rubbing her back soothingly.

  
"I am never drinking again," she said tiredly.

  
"I think that might be best," he chuckled, using his shirt sleeve to wipe her mouth.

  
"Barry?"

  
"Yeah, Iris?"

  
"I feel tired," she said groggily, she looked like she was about to pass out.

  
"I got you," he murmured, scooping her up in his arms as her legs gave out, she looked like she was sleeping.

  
Maybe he could take the opportunity to use his speed and get back to the apartment, double time.

  
She looked as good as gone, and it sure beat carrying her around in his arms for miles.

  
He took the chance and sped away, making it to the apartment in the blink of an eye. He looked at Iris, out like a light, she was.

  
He fumbled with the keys to his apartment and trying to balance Iris in his arms without waking her, he felt like an acrobat.

  
He finally unlocked the door and went straight to his bedroom to lay her down, the girl wasn't as light as she looked.

  
"Wait," she mumbled sleepily, "I have to pee."

  
"Look who's back," he said, and she gave him a slight smile.

  
"Can you go by yourself?" He asked as he gently put her down, not letting go of her until she found her footing.

  
"Of course I can, Barry, I'm not a baby."

  
"Alright, big girl," he chuckled, closing the bathroom door behind her, "Let me know when you're done."

  
She nodded confidently and smiled.

  
Barry was standing outside the door patiently waiting, somehow he figured she was going to need his help.

  
" _This is a nice bathroom_ ," she said finally from behind the door, " _It has an echo...echo, echo, echo_..."

  
Barry was dying with laughter on the other side of the door, could she get any more adorable?

  
"Are you getting through?"

  
" _Yes, Barry_ ," she answered, annoyed.

  
"Just making sure."

  
" _My bathroom doesn't echo_ ," she grunted, she sounded like she was struggling now, " _My dad's bathroom does though_."

  
"Iris, are you okay in there?"

  
" _Yeah, fine_ ," she said, unconvincingly.

  
"Iris..."

  
"... _No_ ," she said quietly, like a child who knew they were about to get a scolding from their parent.

  
"I'm coming in... can I come in?"

  
" _Um_..."

  
"I'm coming in."

  
When Barry opened the door, the first question that came to mind was, how?

  
Her long dress was pulled over to her head, thankfully it was still blocking her chest area but it was also blocking her face and causing her arms not to be able to move and her underwear was still in place which begged the question:

  
"Didn't you come here to pee?" Barry asked, confused.

  
"Yeah," she answered, muffled by the dress over her face.

  
"So why does it seem like you were doing everything but that?"

  
"Little help here?"

  
Barry gently pulled her dress back down because pulling it over her head when she obviously wasn't wearing a bra was a no-no.

  
"I'm going back outside to wait, just...pull down your underwear and pee."

  
"I'll try."

  
And she did try, she really did, it only took about 5 minutes for her to get it right.

  
Needless to say that after that whole ordeal she was thoroughly exhausted and ready for bed.

  
"Comfortable?" He asked, finishing buttoning one of his shirts that he put on over her dress so that he could take it off comfortably, she was so tiny that it almost looked like a dress.

  
"Very much so," she smiled sleepily, flipping her hair to one side and hugging the shirt to her body, "This smells really good."

  
"Lie down," he instructed, brushing a strand of hair from her face as he tucked her in under the covers of his duvet, "I think you deserve the best night's sleep in the world after tonight."

  
"You're so sweet," she gushed, "Thank you for taking care of me tonight... I don't know how I'll feel about you in the morning so I'll tell you thank you tonight."

  
Barry chuckled, "You never have to thank me, Iris, I keep telling you that."

  
"Can I tell you a secret?"

  
"Sure, anything," he said, stroking her face gently.

  
"Ever since you told me about that psycho murderer being after me, I've been pretending to be really brave, but the truth is...I'm really, really scared, Barry."

  
"You don't always have to be brave, Iris."

  
"You do it."

  
"I'm scared most of the times too; when you sent me that text this evening telling me where you were, I was so scared that something had happened to you, I was so scared it made my stomach hurt. But I promise you this, Iris, I will always be here for you, I will always be here to protect you, always; no matter what you do to me or say to me. No matter if you stab me in the chest and tell me you never want to see me again..."

  
"Even then?" She asked in surprise, sitting up to face him.

  
"...Even then," he smiled, "Because you're everything to me, Iris, and I am so sorry for hurting you... walking away from you the last time we talked was one of the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life, but I would do anything to keep you safe, I'm sorry if I went about it the wrong way."

  
"How was you leaving me alone going to keep me safe?"

  
"It's a really long story, maybe someday I'll explain it. I have no idea if you'll remember everything that I'm telling you in the morning, but just know that that's how I feel...you're my whole world now, Iris West, you have been ever since the day we first talked."

  
She just stared at him, she didn't move or anything, after that deep, heartfelt confession. He was starting to wonder if she was sleeping with her eyes open.

  
"Iris? Can you-"

  
He was cut off by her lips crushing his as she practically jumped on him.  
He let out a muffled cry of surprise because, boy, was he not expecting that and as much as he was enjoying it, her judgement was, unfortunately, still impaired.

  
"Whoa, Iris," he breathed as he gently pulled her from him, "Um, you're not...yourself right now."

  
"And?" She said, breathing heavily.

  
"I'm just saying that if you were sober you probably wouldn't be doing this."

  
"So you want me to stop?"

  
"I...don't want to take advantage of you while you're like this."

  
"You really are a good guy, aren't you?"  
She smiled, slowly moving back to lie on the bed once again.

  
"Trust me, it's not easy," he sighed, looking at her up and down, it would be so easy...

  
"I'm sure."

  
"I know you're tired, get a good night's rest," he urged her, covering her back up under the duvet, "We'll deal with tomorrow tomorrow."

  
"Okay," she agreed, yawning and closing her eyes.

  
"Sleep now, beautiful," he whispered, stroking her face soothingly.

  
"Only if you sleep with me," she murmured, catching his hand that was stroking her face in hers.

  
"I'm a very strong man," He chuckled, "But even I have limits."

  
"You won't do anything bad, I trust you."

  
"That's all well and good, but I don't know if _I_ trust me."

  
"Please? You can protect me better if you're with me."

  
Funny, Caitlin said that same thing; maybe it was time to stop pushing her away.

  
"...Okay," he acquiesced.

  
"Plenty space over here," she mumbled, patting the empty spot next to her.

  
Barry lay down next to her and he almost couldn't believe this was happening. Maybe under different circumstances, he would have felt more comfortable, still, it was nice. He still made sure to keep his distance though, as did she, better to be safe than sorry.

  
"So far, so good," he said quietly.

  
The only thing he heard in return was light snoring, she was already gone to the world.

  
Barry smiled and rolled over, placing a long, tender kiss on her forehead.

  
"Good night, Iris," he whispered, and for the first time an a while, he slept peacefully knowing that Iris West was safe by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babies, glad I could get this chapter out so quickly. It's really different from any other chapter of this fic but it has been one of my favorite chapters to write this far, behind the first chapter. It's focused a little more on fun than the usual gloom and doom, hope you enjoy! :D


	10. Ready When You Aren't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Iris reflect on the morning after, confessions are made and a shocking discovery rocks Team Flash.

It was still dark. The first rays of morning hadn't even begun to shine yet, but Barry was awake from what was probably the best night's sleep he'd ever had.

He groaned lightly and tried to raise up off the bed, only, he couldn't. He was being pinned down, unintentionally...by Iris.  


She was wrapped around him like an octopus, actually she was kind of on top of him. She lay atop him in a straddling position with her head laying on his chest, it was just like one of his dreams.  


He released a deep sigh, gingerly bringing his arms to wrap around her tiny frame and placing a soft kiss on her hair.

  
Last evening was something else, he could remember it clear as day in his head, for Iris on the other hand, it was probably a little blurry.

  
He could see the sun coming up from behind the curtains of the window, they had to get up soon, at least he did, since he totally blew off work yesterday. Even though he was probably going to be late, she was perched on top of him so comfortably, he couldn't bear to wake her. Instead, he just lay beneath her, his chin perched atop her head, twirling strands of her hair between his fingers whenever he felt like it; it was like heaven.

  
"I remember," she murmured.

  
"Hey," he replied softly, "You're awake?"

  
"Have been for a while now."

  
She'd been awake for a while now, yet she didn't pull away from him, that was a good sign.

  
"Oh..."

  
"I remember what you said to me last night, before I fell asleep."

  
"How much of it do you remember?"

  
"Everything," she whispered, "Down to the last word."

  
Barry wasn't sure if he was happy she remembered it or not, if she felt the same way about him, then he was happy.

  
"What else do you remember from last night?"

  
"Way more than I want to, that's for sure."

  
There was a silence between them then, it was only then that he realized that she was on top of him, wearing only his shirt and a barely there underwear... she was lying on top of him and it was the morning. It didn't even have to be morning for him to get hard in a position like this.

  
Although he figured she must know about morning wood, he wasn't sure that she'd ever actually been in direct contact with it.

  
"...Do you feel that?" He asked softly.

  
She scoffed lightly, "Of course I feel it."

  
"Is it bothering you?"

  
"...No."

  
That was also a good sign.

  
"Are you sure?" He asked again, for good measure.

  
"Quite," she groaned softly, shifting to find a more comfortable position and oh, god.

  
He hissed sharply and held her in place, "Please don't move."

  
"I'm sorry," she she said softly, resting her chin on his chest to look at him, "Does it hurt?"

  
"No, it feels really good, that's the problem."

  
"Oh...I should get up," she murmured as she carefully raised herself off of him, he missed the warmth of her skin against his already.

  
"You didn't have to move."

  
"No, I should, its late and I have to get to work."

  
"But not at Jitters..."

  
She paused and turned to look at him from the edge of the bed where she was sitting.

  
"...I passed there yesterday, looking for you and they said that you didn't work there anymore."

  
"Why were you looking for me?" She questioned.

  
"I needed to see you to tell you what I told you last night, I needed to tell you the truth."

  
"I quit, two days ago," she admitted, "Do you remember that one time we were talking and I mentioned to you that I was considering applying for a job at the CCPN?"

  
"Yeah..."

  
"Well, I did... and I got it," she laughed softly, "I start today."

  
"Are you serious?" He grinned widely, "Iris, that is incredible...I'm so happy for you."

  
"Thanks," she said, grimacing and holding her head.

  
"Hey, are you okay?"

  
"Yeah, my head hurts like crazy," she groaned, sitting back down on the bed, "Hangover on my first day of work, that's quite an impression to make."

  
"I can get you some Aspirin if you'd like," he offered, being careful to speak softly, "It won't help too much but it'll take the edge off."

  
"That'd be great, thank you."

  
"Top left hand drawer, I'll get you some water."

  
"Barry?" She called, stopping him in his tracks.

  
"Yeah, Iris?"

  
"Did I kiss you last night?"

  
"You...did, yeah."

  
"God...I'm sorry," she winced, "For throwing myself on you like that."

  
"I'm not, I enjoyed it...beer breath and all."

  
She chuckled softly and he could have sworn he saw her blushing a bit as he left the room.

  
He felt...good, that she remembered their kiss, even though she was pissing drunk, the moment was still enjoyable.

  
"One glass of water for..." he trailed off when he saw her with her dress and shoes in hand, looking like she was ready to leave.

  
"I made up the bed and everything; thanks for the water," she said politely as she downed the two tablets quickly.

  
"You're leaving already? Didn't you want to take a bath or...?"

  
"No, I think I've taken up enough of your time besides I don't want to keep you back."

  
"You're not," he said almost immediately, "Trust me, I'm a pretty fast person."

  
"I'll bet...but it's not just that, I mean, I don't have any clothes here to go to work and also I have to get home and come up with some sort of story as to why I didn't make it home last night; both our phones are probably full of missed calls from my dad."

  
"My phone? Why would he call me?"

  
"I think he thinks we're dating or something, I dunno."

  
Shit. Joe probably thought he kidnapped his daughter or something.

  
"Maybe you're right, I should get you home before Joe thinks I stole you or something," he said, rubbing his head thoughtfully.

  
"That might be best," she said, "Trust me you do not want to mess with Joe West's daughter."

  
"I'd rather not learn that the hard way," he chuckled, "Come on, I'll give you a ride to your place."

  
"Thank you, Barry."

  
"There's no need for that," he said softly, "Can you make it downstairs?"

  
"The aspirin hasn't really kicked in yet," she confessed, "I can make it but it'll take a while, slow you down a bit."

  
"I don't mind it, unless you want me to carry you? There are stairs."

  
"I'll make it, slowly but surely," she assured him, slinging her arm around his neck for support as they started walking, "Speaking of carrying, did you put me over your shoulder last night? I'm having some very vague images of the pavement."

  
"Th-that was...very necessary," he stammered.

  
"I would dispute that but I can't really remember the lot of the whole situation...are you turning red?"

  
"No," he lied, he really was though because the thought of him actually throwing Iris over his shoulder was a little...kinky?

  
"I can clearly see you turning red, Barry."

  
"That's because I'm flushed from all this...exercise."

  
"Are you subtly calling me fat?"

  
"What? No, I would never-"

  
"I'm joking, Barry."

  
"Oh," he sighed in relief, "Because I would never, you're not, you're perfect."

  
"Well, would you look at that, we made it downstairs," she remarked, changing the subject.

  
"Yeah...I'll bring the car around, let's get you home."

 

  
The ride home was fairly quiet, they talked about Barry's car, his apartment and what they were going to tell their bosses when they got in late to work; to be fair, there wasn't a lot they could say in only a few minutes. She didn't mention last night, in any form, Barry thought maybe she was trying to put it out of her memory.

  
"Well, this is you," he said as they pulled up in front of Joe's driveway.

  
"Yeah, it is."

  
"Do you want me to come in with you? I can come up with something to tell Joe about why I had you out all night."

  
"No, no," she smiled thankfully, "I will deal with my father, I think you've helped me quite enough."

  
"Okay," he said quietly, "Well, I guess I'll see you-"

  
"Barry, there are some things that I need to say to you," she admitted, "I think I've been trying to avoid saying them but, I need to."

  
"Um, okay," he replied, trying to play it cool but his heart was beating out of his damn chest, anxiety was slowly eating up.

  
She took a deep breath then began, "Firstly, I want to thank you for taking care of me last night, honestly, I'm sure I was so annoying."

  
"You were not annoying, actually you were kind of cute," he joked as she blocked her face in shame.

  
"In any event, I don't know many guys who would have done what you did for me last night and also, who would have had the strength to do what you didn't."

  
Barry furrowed his brows in confusion. Was she actually thanking him for what he thought she was thanking him for?

  
"Yeah, um, thank you for not...taking advantage last night."

  
"Iris, I would never; when I promised to protect you, I meant that in every way, even from myself. I mean, I'm not saying it was easy, because obviously, you're you and you're gorgeous and sexy and-"

  
"Barry," she said, shutting him up, "I think you're losing your point."

  
"Right, sorry...sorry," he stammered while Iris was trying and failing to stifle a giggle, "I just mean that, no matter how much it tempts me, I would never do that you, unless you're completely in your right mind and ask me to."

  
"You are a gentleman, aren't you?"

  
"I try."

  
"The other thing that, I need to get off my chest is..." she trailed off, breathing in deeply.

 

"Yeah?" He asked, expectantly.

  
"Last night I was alone and vulnerable and of all the people that I could have called, I reached out to you. As I was laying on top you this morning, I asked myself why that could be. After you broke my heart two times, after you left me thinking about how I had to be such a horrible person that even Barry Allen doesn't want to be around me. I thought about it, and I thought about it, and I thought about it until I could only come up with one answer."

  
Barry stared at her anxiously, he couldn't even hide it anymore, he just wanted her to get on with it already, the suspense was killing him.

  
"I'm falling in love with you, Barry," she confessed, tears forming in her eyes, "I'm falling in love with you and I don't know if I should be, because I don't know how you're going to break my heart next...I don't know when you're going to run off and leave me or when you're just going to decide that we're not meant to be, I don't know anything when it comes to you."

  
"Iris..." he whispered, he could barely get any words out after what she just said; it was everything he wanted to hear and everything he didn't want to hear all in one.

  
"Don't," she ordered, her voice trembling, "Don't say it back, that's not why I told you. I told you because I need to admit it, to you and myself."

  
"I know that you care for me, I know that but Barry, I don't know if I can trust you. You mentioned last night that you pulled yourself away from me to protect me, I don't know what you meant by that but you need to trust me enough to let me be at your side, not just standing somewhere in the background. You have no idea how much you hurt me, and I can't get hurt a fourth time."

  
Barry was lost for words, all he could do was shake his head, he didn't even notice it but a single tear ran down his cheek; he couldn't even remember the last time he cried.

  
He sniffed, trying to pull himself together, "Um, I will give you time and space...to think and I will let you go, you're gonna be late for your first day."

  
"Okay," she said softly, sniffing as well, "I guess I'll see you around and I'll get your shirt back to you after I wash it, obviously."

  
"Keep it," he said sadly, a half smile playing on his face, "It looks way better on you."

  
She looked apologetic, and hesitantly, she slowly surged forward and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. It was heartfelt, lingering, he could tell she meant it, still, it didn't take the sting of her words away.

  
"That was nice," he whispered, "Everything considered."

  
"Take care of yourself, Barry."

  
With that, she exited the car and went quickly into the house. Barry looked at her all the way there; for the first time, she was the one walking away from him.

 

  
Barry literally got to work that day and didn't know why he did. This was not a good day day for him, he was in the mood for no bullshit or nothing that could make his day worse.

  
He made his way to Joe's desk, obviously he wasn't in yet since he was probably too busy having a conniption over Iris not making it home last night. He began picking up some reports from the desk to get started on his work for the day when he noticed a bag on the desk opposite Joe's.

  
"Hi, Barry," a voice behind him said.  
He turned around to look Patty Spivot in the face and for a second, all the memories came flooding back to him.

  
"Patty," he said, that was all he could say, nothing else.

  
"Long time no see," she nodded, wringing her fingers.

  
"Yeah," he replied quietly, "Long time."  
"Are you looking for Joe too?"

  
"Um, no I just came to get some reports off his desk...you're back out."

  
"Yeah, I came back yesterday but you weren't here."

  
"Something came up and I couldn't come in...it's really good to see you, Patty."

  
She smiled widely, just like he remembered, "It's good to see you too."  
"How have you been?"

  
"You can hear all about it over lunch."

Was she asking him out?

  
"Um-"

  
"Don't worry," she laughed, probably because of his deer on the headlights expression, "It won't be a date, just two friends catching up."

  
"I would like that," he answered truthfully.

  
"Great, I'll see you in a bit."

 

  
Barry was waiting at Jitters, and for some reason, he couldn't stop tapping his foot. Somehow, he was nervous to have lunch with Patty. He was seeing her again for the first time in a while, it has been a while since they got together like this and so much had happened in the period between their breakup to now. It was like everything came flooding back and it was a little overwhelming.

  
"You're early," Patty said as she came to sit opposite him, "You were always the late one, I guess things do change."

  
It was true, for someone with super speed he was never on time, ironically.

  
"Not everything, I still can't decide between coffee and tea."

  
They both laughed and got somehow he was actually feeling a lot better about his shitty day.

  
"So how have you been?" She asked, sipping on the coffee that Barry ordered.

  
He sighed loudly, pondering where to even begin.

  
"You sigh like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders," she remarked.

  
"It's just been a rough couple of days, I've been doing fine. I've been busy, the entire precinct, actually, trying to get the jump on this-"

  
"Ice killer," she finished his sentence, "I may not have been around for the last couple days but I've been following up; trail is still dry, I hear."

  
"Maybe now that you're back we'll have better luck," he joked, but in reality he was serious, Patty was damn good at her job, she could be a good asset in taking this bastard down.

  
"No pressure or anything," she laughed.

  
"None whatsoever," he said, grinning.

  
"Let's change the gloom and doom subject...how's your personal life been going?"

  
Well, that didn't take long. He figured she would have at least given it a day or two before she wanted to know who he was fucking, and if that person was Iris.

  
"It's fine," he lied, "I don't really have a lot of time for a personal life since this case came up, just trying to make the best of it."

  
She nodded intently but he could tell she didn't really give two shits about his personal life if it didn't have anything to do with Iris.

  
"And-and Iris?" She asked finally, "How's she doing? How are you two doing?"

  
Like ripping off a band-aid.

  
"Iris is fine, Patty," he assured her so he could get around to answering the question for all the money, "And she and she and I are just friends, for your information."

  
"Really? That's...surprising?"

  
"Is it?"

  
"Yeah, I just thought-"

  
"Thought that I would go chasing after her the minute you broke up with me? Despite what you may think of me, I was never that person you made me out to be."

  
"You were in a physical relationship with me and in a mental relationship with her at the same time, Barry," she said firmly, her entire demeanor suddenly changed.

  
"I never cheated on you," he stated quietly, "Never."

  
"Maybe not physically but Barry, you might have as well had."

  
"Is this why you asked me here for lunch? To interrogate me and make me feel like scum by drudging up all this shit?"

  
"I asked you here because I honestly wanted to have a human conversation with you, I haven't seen you since we broke up and-"

  
"Since you broke up with me," he corrected her, "And Patty, I understand why you did it. I was not being fair to you and you deserved so much better, and in case I never told or got the chance to tell you, I am deeply sorry."

  
She looked at him strange, she was probably expecting him to keep fighting with her but the truth was, he had grown a lot since then. He wasn't blaming everyone else for his mistakes anymore, he was taking responsibility.

  
"I'm sorry for ruining our relationship and I'm sorry for hurting you...I know you'll find someone amazing and completely worthy of you and I hope you'll be very happy, truly."

  
"Thank you," she whispered in surprise, "Thank you, I think that that was all I ever wanted to hear. I spent a lot of sleepless nights thinking about what happened and how we left things; you never even called me after it happened, we never reached out to each other and now after today I feel like I finally have-"

  
"Closure," he finished her sentence, "I feel it too. After we broke up I spent all my time looking for someone else to blame besides myself, because maybe then it wouldn't have been my fault. I was a fool to do that, but I'm trying this new thing now where I actually take responsibility for my own shit rather than dumping it on someone else."

  
"It's hard, isn't it?" She said, nodding sympathetically.

  
"The hardest," he admitted, grinning.

  
"You're doing good so far," she smiled.

  
"Coming from you, that means quite a lot."

  
"Cheers?" She asked, raising her coffee cup up, Barry raising his to meet it.

  
"Cheers."

 

  
Barry spent his entire day that afternoon in his lab fine tuning police reports that Joe had on his desk. Most of the reports were on small crimes that had been taking place in the city, petty robbery, shootouts, the occasional meta human terror attack. Truth be told, he was mostly just sitting on his hands these days, without crime scenes to do work ups on, his only work was his own backlog. The ice killings had gone silent recently, which might have either been good or bad news, most likely the latter. The decrease might have meant that something big was coming, and once again, they had no idea what.

  
On the other front, he was having a kind of topsy-turvy day. The love of his life pretty much told him that he was the love of her life also, only there was a big fat but attached to the confession. Then, his ex showed back up to work, they had lunch together and pretty much gabbed about their feeling for an entire lunch time.

  
"Barry," Joe called from the doorway of his lab and he didn't look too happy at all, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

  
"Yeah, sure," he said casually, trying to play it cool because he didn't know what the hell to expect, "What's up?"

  
"Did you know what Iris was up to last night? She didn't come home till this morning, I was just with her." 

  
He had no choice, he had to lie.

  
"No, I'm not sure," he said, "We weren't in contact yesterday."

  
"I see," Joe said, nodding knowingly.

  
"Why...are you looking at me like that?"

  
Shit. He was beginning to break under that stare.

  
"You know why."

  
"No, I really don't," Barry insisted, fighting to the last.

  
"She told me her former boss begged her to work a shift at Jitters since they were short staffed for the night; now I might have actually believed that if I hadn't seen her come home wearing your shirt."

  
Shit.

  
"I'm- Joe I really-"

  
"Look, Barry," Joe began, "I had a feeling that you two were dating, and I sort of had a feeling that you two were...you know..."

  
Oh, god. Barry wanted to crawl under a fucking rock.

  
"Joe, it really isn't-"

  
"And I want you both to know that even though this is a little bit weird for me, Iris being my daughter and you being like a son to me, I will not get involved in your personal business. You and Iris are adults, I just don't want you both to feel like you have to lie to me about anything."

  
Barry swallowed hard.

  
"Yeah, o-okay, no problem," he stammered, he really just wanted this conversation to end.

  
"Okay," Joe said, patting Barry on the back, "Also, just to pry a little...are you two using protection?"

  
"Oh, god, Joe," Barry groaned, flying off the chair causing Joe to burst out laughing, "Stop, please stop, I've learned my lesson, I won't lie to you again."

  
"You'd better not," he snickered, "Or I'm gonna make it a whole lot worse next time."

  
"Yes, sir," Barry promised.

  
"By the way, did you notice Patty this morning?"

  
"Yeah, yeah, she and I had a really nice talk; we cleared a lot of air, I think."

  
"Good for you, Barry," Joe said proudly, "Because I don't think I can handle a front row seat to any soap operas right now; lord knows I had enough to deal with when you two were together."

  
"Hey, we weren't that bad...were we?"

  
"Yeah, you were, Bar," Joe deadpanned, "Please don't be like that with my daughter in front me, seriously."

  
"I don't think you have to-"

  
_Buzz. Buzz._

  
A text from Cisco.

_SOS. SOS._

 

That didn't look very good; one SOS was usually really bad but two?

  
"Actually, Joe, can I catch up with you later? There's something that I have to take care of."

  
"Sure, don't let me keep you," Joe said mischievously, "Say hi to Iris for me."

  
"I-" He began then stopped, he wasn't even going to respond to that; Joe was just having way too much fun right now.

 

 

"I got here as fast as I could, what's up?" Barry asked frantically, coming to halt in the middle of the floor, "What's the SOS?"

  
Instead of an answer, all he got were exchanged stares of fear and concern from Cisco and H.R.

  
"You guys?" He urged them, "Seriously, what's the problem?"

  
"We may have gotten a lead on our mystery killer," Cisco said without elaborating.

  
"That's great! This is great...why doesn't everyone think this is...great?"

  
"Do you remember when you met the iceman and he made you solve some weird riddle?" Cisco asked.

  
"Yeah, of course I remember; the answer was snow, didn't make much sense."

  
Cisco couldn't even make eye contact with him, something was really wrong.  
"Cisco, what is going on?"

  
"It...wasn't just a silly riddle, it was the answer to a big part of the puzzle that was right under our noses all the time."

  
"Where is Caitlin?" Barry asked cautiously, still not seeing where Cisco was coming from.

  
"She's...in containment."

  
"What do mean she's in containment?"

  
"I think you should come see for yourself," Cisco suggested, pulling Barry along.

  
When they got downstairs, there was Caitlin, standing in one of those prisons that they built for evil meta humans, she looked even more scared than Cisco and H.R. What the hell was going on?

  
"Wha-what is she doing in there?" Barry asked, he was trying to understand the situation but he was getting a bit upset now.

  
Cisco only bowed his head timidly.

  
"Get her out of there," Barry commanded, outraged.

  
"No, Barry," Caitlin said finally, her voice slightly muffled by the thick glass between them, "Cisco and H.R. didn't do this, I put myself in here...it was me."  
"What do you mean it was you?"

  
"It was me...I was the answer to the riddle," she continued, struggling to bite back tears, "I've been helping that maniac all along; he's always been a step ahead of us because I've been helping him."

  
"He needed someone on the inside," Barry said softly to himself.

  
"I would wake up in the day and find myself exhausted and not know why; I suspected this but I didn't want to accept that it was happening again, that I was turning back into... _her_."

  
"It all makes sense," Cisco said sadly, "How he would know about the traffic cameras, how he knew who you were, even how he would know so much about Iris.."

  
Iris. Iris was in danger because of this, because of Caitlin.

  
"...It was Killer Frost who did this, Cait, not you."

  
"No, Barry-"

  
"Yes, it was," he insisted, "We can help you just...come out of there, we'll figure this out."

  
She shook her head fearfully, backing away from the glass; it was only then that he realized the streaks of white hair in her head.

  
"Cisco, get her out of there," he pleaded, his tone was different now, he couldn't imagine how she must have been feeling.

  
"I can't," Cisco explained, "She altered the manual system of doors, only she can open it from the inside."

  
"Cait," Barry begged, he didn't want to see her like this, hating herself for something that wasn't her fault, "Please..."

  
"I'm dangerous, Barry, it's better that I be in here, please understand," she said, moving to sit in the corner of the cell.  
Her resolve was firm, she wasn't going to come out, no matter how much he groveled.

  
"We have to help her," Barry whispered to Cisco and H.R. , "We have to figure out a way to get her out of there."

  
"Can't you phase through the glass or something, B.A?" H.R. asked.

  
"He can't just phase through it," Cisco replied, "That glass was designed to imprison meta humans, that includes speedsters."

  
"Well, that's kind of dumb," H.R. muttered quietly to himself.

  
"Alright, look," Barry said, "We just have to figure out a- hold on a second, I'm  
getting a call."

  
Barry left Cisco and H.R. conversing while he went to answer his phone; the number was blocked.

  
He answered hesitantly, "...Hello?"

  
_Barry,_ " Joe said, he didn't have caller ID but he could always recognize Joe's voice.

  
"Joe," he sighed, relieved, "What's up? How come you're calling from a blocked number?"

  
" _Barry_ ," he repeated, but he sounded strange, he couldn't explain how...just strange.

  
"Joe?"

  
"... _Sorry about that, Flash, that guy is way too talkative_ ," a man expressed, he knew who it was immediately.

  
"Where is Joe?" Barry asked quietly; oh, he was seething, but he kept his composure.

  
" _Now, what kind of villain would I be if I told you that?_ "

  
"He's done nothing to you, let him go," he said through gritted, simultaneously signaling to Cisco to start a trace on the phone call as they moved back upstairs to the computers.

  
He had to keep him talking, at least until they could find a location.

  
" _It's true that he's done me no harm, but I have my reasons._ "

  
"You're a psychopath, that's reason enough, right?"

  
" _I prefer sociopath, it makes me sound more controlled._ "

  
"There's nothing controlled about you, I'll call you what you are, a psychopath."

  
" _He who is without sin..._ "

  
"Don't try to justify your actions, you've killed people, innocent people," Barry continued while Cisco tried unsuccessfully to trace the call.

  
"I can't trace it," mouthed Cisco and Barry nodded his understanding.

  
" _You think you're such a hero, Flash_?" The man retorted, condescendingly, " _You're nothing but a pretender, in fact, you and I are somewhat alike._ "

  
"I'm nothing like you, and I never will be."

  
" _Hmm, we'll see, won't we?_ "

  
"I'll find you," Barry promised, "And when I do, you're going to face justice."

  
" _Oh, I have no doubt you'll find me; the when is a bit iffy though. Tell Cisco sorry about the trace, I like it when things go according plan, you know_?"

  
"And what is your plan?"

  
" _You'll have to wait and see like everyone else, Barry, but don't wait too long, the Detective here may not have much time._ "

  
"And how do I know this isn't just a smokescreen like the last time?"

  
" _Trust me, this is the the real deal, I'm not one for redundancy... your move."_

  
_Click_.

  
Barry was livid.

  
"What happened just now?" He asked, the anger wasn't directed to Cisco in particular just all around in general.

  
"He was probably using an internet call," Cisco guessed, "Practically untraceable, even for me...what happened?"

  
"He's got Joe," Barry sighed, running his hands through his hair, "We have to do something fast, I don't think it's a trick this time."

  
"Well, aside from call tracing which turned out to be a bust, we've kinda got limited options."

  
"You'll work something out," Barry said, attempting a smile, "I believe in you; I can't save the day this time, it's gotta be you."

  
"No pressure or anything," Cisco joked nervously, "What about you, where are you going?"

  
"Iris doesn't know about this, when she finds out she's going to need a friend."

  
"A friend, really?" Cisco deadpanned, "That didn't even fool me."

  
"Just keep working," Barry ordered, trying to hold back a smile.

  
He was going to Iris as a friend, and only a friend, at least, that was what he kept telling himself on the way over to her place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys kinda like this one, took me a while and it was a bit hard but here it is!


	11. Heart Wide Open

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Iris have a much needed heart to heart convo while the hunt for Joe is still afoot, but there may be a glimmer of hope.

Barry was fidgeting, he was sweating he was just about doing it all. He had to stay focused, he came here for a reason and whether or not that reason gave him the excuse to come to her house after their last conversation, he had no idea.

  
The plan originally was to wait outside her house like a crazy stalker person until she got home from work since showing up at her work seemed kind of like crossing some kind of line, especially given their last conversation. Now, though, he felt like he couldn't wait for her; it'd be at least an hour or more until she got home and this was urgent.

  
He picked himself up and ran to the CCPN, it wasn't too far from the precinct so when he and Iris got together, because it was inevitable that they were going to get together, they could see each other often. He allowed his mind to stray and imagine all the wonderful possibilities of the future; he would love her in the most beautiful way possible and then she would be his girlfriend then eventually his wife. His wife.

  
Yeah, he was thinking a bit far ahead, but he couldn't help it, it was all he wanted.

  
He entered the front doors of the CCPN and it was pretty much just like the CCPD, except everyone was reporting the news instead of being in the news.

  
People were flying by and barking orders like they were crazy, it was so hectic. Also, how the hell was he going to find Iris in this mess?

  
"Alright, I need everyone on this one," a man commanded, making his way over to the head table; he looked sharp, undoubtedly he was in charge, "Renee, Stone, West, that includes you all."

  
Iris. He looked diligently for her amongst the flock of reporters making their way across the room; when he finally saw her passing mere inches from her, he caught her gently by the arm.

  
"Iris," was all he said, she looked more than surprised to see him.

  
"Barry?" She said, expressing that surprise, "What the- what are you doing here?"

  
For some reason his words were getting stuck in his throat, being held there, so that just left him looking awkward trying to talk but unable to.

  
She looked at him intently before looking around the room, probably to make sure no one was paying them any attention.

  
"Barry...spit it out," she said nervously, "What do you need?"

  
"I- it's-"

  
"Barry," she said under her breath, "I have work to do, when you figure out what you want to tell me then-"

  
"It's your dad," he blurted out, and immediately he had her full attention.

  
"West!" The man in charge barked, "I said I need everyone over here right now!"

  
She looked torn as she exchanged troubled looks between Barry and her boss.

  
"West, don't make me tell you again."

  
"I just...I need a minute," she finally managed, moving to Barry's side, then there was that whole alpha male thing between them both, of course, "I have a family emergency, please."

  
"I'm counting that minute," he warned, "After that, you get your ass back here ASAP."

  
Iris sighed stressfully, pulling him square outside the building.

  
"What's happened to my dad?" She asked straightforwardly, although he wasn't sure she would be keen on hearing the answer.

  
"He's...missing," he replied simply, the alternative was that he was in danger of being murdered and that wasn't something she needed to know about just yet.

  
She didn't respond, only stared at him intently, as if waiting for him to elaborate.

  
"Barry, you're not telling me the whole story," she said matter-of-factly, lowering her voice and moving closer to him, "WS this the ice killer?"

  
He wished he could say no, that he could tell her it was all just a misunderstanding and that everything was going to be okay, but the truth was, he didn't know that.

  
He nodded affirmatively and he could see the fear and sadness in her eyes.

  
"Iris-"

  
"When...how did this happen?" She asked, "I was with him just this morning, I saw him leave for work, how..."

  
"I was with him only a little while ago too, but we can't worry too much about the how, we just have to figure out how to go from here."

  
"Okay, well I don't- I don't really know what to do, or what to-"

  
"It's your first day, I know you want to make a good impression, it's okay, I'll fix this, Iris."

  
She tried to look hopeful but her eyes betrayed her, she was worried, and for good reason. He couldn't let her know or think that the situation wasn't under control.

  
"Hey, look at me," he commanded gently, taking her face into both his hands, "I promise I will bring him back to you, okay?"

  
"Okay," she replied softly, "I...I trust you."

  
Barry smiled then, her trust was important to him, it let him know that they were still connected somehow, no matter if she didn't want him around.

  
He pressed his lips lightly to her forehead, just for a second and then released her.

  
"West," the boss man called, "Can we get to work now, or is this time not convenient for you?"

  
Iris composed herself and quietly made her way back into the building, throwing a glance at Barry over her shoulder as she went.

  
He knew how important this job was to her so he tried to reassure her that everything was going to be okay, also, her boss was a bit of a dickhead.

  
"Hey," the man called, stopping Barry in his tracks, "I don't usually make it a habit to work in the schedules of my employees so whatever problems Miss West is having, she needs to deal with it on her own time."

  
Oh, this prick didn't know the half of it and Barry decided he wasn't even worth the stress of an explanation.

  
"I understand," he said simply.

  
"So who are you anyway, her boyfriend?"  
"Who wants to know?"

  
"I do, as a matter of fact."

  
It was no surprise that this guy probably also wanted a piece of Iris, it was hard to find a guy who didn't.

  
A part of him wanted to be petty, to say 'hell, yes', screw with this guy a bit, make him feel small, but instead he said...

  
"No, I'm just a friend of hers," Barry replied, "A good friend who's asking you to just cut her a little slack, she's going through something right now and I'm just asking for a little cooperation."

  
"I see," the man replied, smirking just enough for Barry to pick up on it, "And does Miss West's 'good friend' have a name?"

  
"Allen, Barry Allen."

  
"Mines is Evans, Scott Evans," he said as he extended a hand to Barry.

  
"Pleasure," Barry smiled politely, firmly gripping Scott's hand, perhaps a bit too firm from the pained expression he was trying so hard to hide, the typical alpha male thing.

  
"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around here," Scott mentioned as he made his way back to to the building.

 

"You can count on it," Barry said confidently, where that confidence came from he had no good idea.

 

  
Time passed and Barry was just sitting on Iris' porch like a stray dog waiting for her to get home, as per the original plan. When she finally did get home he felt like his wife was finally getting home from work after a long day, it was a nice feeling.

  
"You're here," he remarked as she made her way to him at the door, actually she was kind of pacing, she looked like she might run him over. Well, she didn't quite but she did collide with him, so hard that she knocked the wind out of him. Her arms were wrapped around his waist tightly, never loosening as she held onto him for dear life.

  
"Tell me he's gonna be okay," she pleaded quietly and Barry wanted nothing more than to do just that, but even he didn't have all the answers.

  
"I'll get him back, Iris," he whispered, burying his nose in her hair as he held her with the same force she held him with, "I promised you, right?"

  
She nodded solemnly.

  
"Have I ever broken a promise to you?"  
She shook her head no.

  
"And I'm not about to start now," he said as he kissed her hair chastely, "Come on, let's get you inside."

  
She was shaking as they stepped inside the house, not noticeably but he could notice, he noticed everything about her.

  
"You sit and relax," he urged, removing her jacket from her shoulders leaving her in only a pink camisole and a tight, black pencil skirt, "I'll fix you some coffee."

  
She obeyed without hesitation, sighing wearily as he rushed to the kitchen.  
He moved fluently, how his head was so clear in a situation like this, he'd never know but he felt good taking care of her like this, he could get used to it.

  
When he turned around to hand her the cup of coffee she had this small smirk on her face.

  
"What?" He asked, grinning slightly, "Why are looking at me like that?"

  
"You move like you live here."

  
"Feels natural I guess."

  
"Making coffee or making me coffee?"

  
"I- can I-" he stammered, "Can I actually tell you a secret?"

  
"Of course you can," she said, rearing her coffee on the table and turning to face him attentively.

  
"I'm not actually sure I should be telling you this," he confessed, chuckling, "I had...a dream about you, once."

  
"Oh?" She said in surprise, raising her eyebrows.

  
"Yeah..." he said sheepishly, suddenly he felt strange about telling her his dream.

  
"....Well?" She prodded, "You can't just tell me you had a dream about me and not tell me what it was about, that's just cruel."

  
"I don't want to," he said shyly, he could feel himself beginning to blush, "You'll laugh."

  
"I probably will but I think a little laughter will be good right now."

  
He gave her a look, "I'm very sensitive, so don't laugh, okay?"

  
"Okay, I won't...I swear."

  
"Okay, I dreamt...that we were here, in this house, and...we were married."

  
He waited for her for her fit of laughter but it never came. When he looked at her, her expression was serious, thoughtful...god, what was she thinking?

  
"What are you thinking?" He said softly.

  
"What else happened?" She asked, ignoring his question.

  
"What else? Um...we-you started kissing me and then one thing led to another and...you'll have to use your imagination for the rest because I woke up after anything could really, you know...happen."

  
"So...basically, we fucked."

  
Barry looked dumbstruck, he had never heard her swear before it was so out of character and...incredibly hot.

  
"I...did not even know you knew that word," Barry said slowly as she burst out laughing.

  
"You should see your face, its golden. I can be dirty, when I want."

  
"I see."

  
"If my dad ever heard me talking like that, he'd catch a fit."

  
"Cause to him, you're his perfect little girl, right?"

  
She nodded guiltily, "I love him, more than anything, there's just so much I can't tell him...does that make me a bad daughter?"

  
"It makes you a daughter who cares a lot about your dad."

  
She stared at him for a good while after that, eventually shaking her head incredulously, "Why are you here, Barry?"

  
"I'm here because...you're going through a hard time and you need a friend right now..."

  
"No, I mean, why are here? After I told you that I basically wanted none of you after our last conversation?"

  
"If I can recall, you also said that you were falling in love with me."

  
"Thank you for bringing that up," she deadpanned, "So that's why you're here? Because I told you that?"

  
"I can't...I don't know how to stay away from you," he said slowly and quietly.  
She looked at his lips, absent mindedly tracing the handle of the coffee cup in her hands, like she was enthralled with the words coming out of his mouth.

  
"I used to try, or at least try to try but lately, I can't... so I guess I'm not trying anymore."

  
There was silence, he was staring at her and she was still staring at his lips only now, she was subtly biting hers.

  
"There was a song my dad used to sing to me when I was a little girl," she said suddenly, putting her glass on the table and standing up with her hands extended to him.

  
"You want me to- um, okay," he stammered, talking her hands so that they were now standing square in front of each other, only she was way down on the ground, he always loved their height difference.

  
"It goes like this:

 

 _"_ _When you need me call my name_  
'Cause without you my life just wouldn't be the same  
If you want me come sunny skies or rain  
When you need me just call my name."

 

Barry smiled, her voice was so lovely, she was so lovely. And of course, he knew that song by Bruce Springsteen, it was one of his favorites, so he decided to continue it.

 _"If you need me I'll be there, to brush the sunlight from your hair,"_ he sang, brushing her hair gently and swaying her, causing her to giggle, " _I'll be there to guide you when trouble walks beside you, if you need me I'll be there."_

 

He wondered if she wanted to sing the next part but she was looking at him with this wonder in her eyes.

 

"You have a beautiful voice," she whispered, "Continue."

 

 _"And when this dirty world has been cold to you, I got two strong arms waiting to hold you,"_ he continued, accentuating the lyrics by wrapping his arms tightly around her tiny waist causing her to squeal in delight, " _And when those mean days come along, we'll stand together and we'll take em' on, so if you need just call my name."_

"Finish it with me?" He pleaded, and she silently agreed.

So they both sang,

 _"_ _When you need me call my name_  
'Cause without you my life just wouldn't be the same  
'Cause when this world kicked me around  
Baby, you picked me up off the ground  
So if you need me, I'll be there."

They were both still standing there, his arms around her waist and her arms around his neck, just looking into each other's eyes, neither of them seemed able to look away.

  
Her eyes and they way she was looking at him, her gaze sometimes darting from his eyes to her lips, he couldn't deal, he was already more than halfway hard.

  
"I'm sorry to ruin the mood," He apologized in advance, "And please don't take this the wrong way, but I want to absolutely wreck you right now."

  
Iris laughed, loud and he joined in after, nice to know she had a good sense of humor.

  
"I know," she admitted laughingly, "Your dick isn't exactly as subtle as you are."

  
Barry scratched his head in shame, that would always be his sellout.

  
"You know, even when I got way too old for it, he used to insist on this song to me and I just-I got so irritated," she explained sadly, "And now, I would do anything to hear him sing it."

  
"When he comes home, I'll be sure to tell him to bring out a band and do just that."

  
"I'll rue the moment when I'm in it," she laughed, "For now, I can't wait."

  
"Nice to see you laughing," Barry pointed out, "You really don't need to worry, my word is good."

  
"I know," she smiled.

  
"There's something that I've been meaning to ask you about," he said, taking her hand and sitting her down beside him, "I kinda feel like now is the worst time to bring it up but-"

  
"Ask me."

  
"The morning after your little drunken adventure," he began and she rolled her eyes.

  
"Please don't remind me of that, I feel bad enough."

  
"Sorry," he winced, "But, that morning, you told me that you couldn't get hurt a fourth time; now if I can count right, that just doesn't add up."

  
"Are you sure you want to go down that rabbit hole?" She warned, "That's...it's a kinda long story."

  
"I don't mind," he shrugged, "It'll keep my mind going."

  
"Okay," she sighed deeply, clasping her hands together as he gazed expectantly,  
"So, I've only ever been with one guy, like in life."

  
Barry's eyes nearly popped out of his head for how his eyes opened.

  
"I know," she continued before he could get a comment in, "Probably hard for you to believe but it's true. His name was Edward Thawne, he was Eddie to me, though, he was basically my everything. We met when I was 17, I was fresh out of college and he was fresh into the Force; a detective just like my dad, Detective Pretty Boy, we used to call him, well, at least I did."

  
"Was he pretty?"

  
"Very," she said laughingly, "I think he might have been prettier than me."

  
"Prettier than me too?"

  
She gave him a face that seemed to say 'don't be ridiculous' and promptly ignored him, getting back to the story, "So anyway, we met through my dad; I'm convinced he was actually stalking me because he asked me out the very first day that we met, like, who does that?"

  
'Probably me if I didn't have a girlfriend at the time' he thought.

  
"So, naively, I agreed, and it turned out to be the best thing I'd ever done in my life. We were in love, I loved him so much," she expressed emotionally, "I didn't... let my dad know, I didn't think he'd approve, Eddie being like his partner and all, but my dad is a Detective and sometimes we weren't exactly conspicuous so, naturally, he found out eventually. I wouldn't exactly say he was happy about it but he accepted it."

  
Barry was enthralled with her story but still trying to figure out what had happened, what caused them to break up.

  
"And what happened next?" He asked quietly.

  
She breathed uneasily, "We were together for five years, then one day, him and my dad got a call, a robbery downtown at the bank, no biggie, they were used to that, but..."

  
Barry sighed deeply and bowed his head, he knew exactly where this was going.

  
"Iris..."

  
"...They got to the building and...this guy just rushed out, guns blazing, bullets were flying everywhere..."

  
"You don't have to continue if-"

  
"...My dad ended up being out in the open, he had no cover, he would have gotten killed but Eddie...he, threw himself in front of him and-" she broke off mid sentence and burst into tears and Barry was around her in a heartbeat.

  
"I'm so, so sorry, Iris," he whispered, a tear running down his cheek as well, "I am so sorry."

  
She cried for a good long while, Barry comforting her the entire time, stroking her hair and tracing her skin with his fingers.

  
She sniffed quietly, "I closed myself off, every guy that tried to get with me I just...I just blocked them out; I told myself it would never be anyone except Eddie."

  
"And then?"

  
"Then you came along and kinda just destroyed all my emo plans."

  
Barry had to laugh at that, even though it was funny he felt special that he was the one to bring a change in her life.

  
"And are you happy about that or not?"

  
"I'm happy you came into my life, that's for sure."

  
"I'm happy you came into my life too," he said truthfully, "Now I can't imagine it without you."

  
"Here's hoping you never have to."

  
Again, the pull between them was evident, he could feel it as clear as ever and he knew for a fact that she felt it too.

  
He leaned in toward her slowly, not too insistent to make her feel uncomfortable, though he knew she wanted him too, but he leaned, letting her know his intentions.

  
She didn't lean in, instead she closed her eyes, her breath unsteady as she waited for his lips to connect with hers.

  
"Do you want me to?" He asked softly.

  
"...Yes," she whispered, "Yes."

  
He was so close, just a few inches more and his lips would be on hers, those soft, plump lips that made his mind swirl with wildly inappropriate thoughts.

  
He moved even closer, his lips ghosting over hers, nuzzling them, then he took her bottom lip between his teeth and bit down, gently but seductively.

  
His actions elicited a needy moan from between her lips, and he tugged slightly in response.

  
She mumbled something inaudible, it sounded like she was trying to say his name but, understandably, the words couldn't get out.

  
She was making him so hot, the sounds she was making, the way her fingers were clawing at his thighs, it was all so fucking sexy, and he hadn't even kissed her yet.

  
His tongue darted out , ready to do just that when-

  
_Buzz. Buzz._

  
"Oh, fuck," he whispered harshly and Iris giggled at his quiet outburst, "Would it be crazy of me to just let it ring?"

  
"A little," she admitted, "You should get it, it might be information about my dad."

  
"Right," he agreed, Joe was top priority, even before possibly having the most amazing sex ever with the most beautiful girl ever.

 

  
"What's up, Cisco?" He sighed irritably.

  
_"Oh, hey, am I interrupting something, what's the attitude about?"_

  
"It's nothing, what do you have?"

  
_"I think we might have figured out a way to find out where Joe is."_

  
"What? That's great, let's hear it."

  
_"Well, it's a bit...complicated."_

  
"I'm sure I can handle it."

  
_"Well, there's this project that I've been working on, a machine, it's basically a machine that can go deep into someone's memory, even memories that the person can't seem to access for themselves, and cause the person the relive them."_

  
"Okay, wait...you want to use this machine on Caitlin?"

  
_"Her memories might be the key to finding out about Joe is, and so much more...Barry, we could finally find out who the ice killer is."_

  
"Yeah, I know, I understand, I just..." he sighed wearily, "I'm just thinking about Cait, what reliving those memories will do to her."

  
" _She's going to want to help, I know she will, I haven't talked to her about it yet."_

  
"Let me know when you do and let me know how it goes, okay?"

  
" _Will do, I'll shoot you a call in a few."_

  
"Thanks, man."

 

"Well?" Iris asked expectantly, "Good news?"

  
"Yeah, good news," he said, grinning; he wasn't lying, Cisco did give him hope, "We're one step closer to finding your dad?"

  
She laughed softly and quickly threw his arms around him and he couldn't help but be happy that she was happy.

  
They embraced for a few moments, just enjoying the feel of each other, the comfort of each other, then he slowly released her because if he didn't let go she probably would never have.

  
She whined sadly as his arms left her body and he chuckled softly, placing them back immediately, much to her delight.

  
"Can we just stay here all day?" She asked.

  
"We can do whatever you want, Iris."

  
She pulled back slightly so she could see his face, still holding onto him.

  
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked.

  
"Like what?"

  
"Like I'm something to eat, and you haven't eaten in a really long time?"

  
She smirked coyly and sauntered off to pick his phone up, "Cisco is calling you."

  
She was such a tease, and Barry was all for it, if she was trying to seduce him, she was doing a damn good job of it. It was all he could do not to just pick her up, carry her upstairs and take her again and again and again until he literally didn't have an ounce of energy left; even the couch would have worked since he probably wouldn't have made it up the stairs.

 

"Talk to me, Cisco."

  
" _Are you smiling?"_ Cisco questioned.

  
"What? No."

  
_"I can hear it in your voice...what's going on?"_ He asked suspiciously.

  
"Is that really important right now?"

  
" _Right, sorry, you can give me the juicy gossip later...we might have a little setback in the plan."_

  
"What happened? Did you talk to Caitlin?"

  
" _Yeah, but-"_

  
_"I'm so sorry, Barry,"_ Caitlin's voice said indistinctly in the background, " _I just...I don't think I can do it."_

  
"Caitlin?" He shouted into the phone, forgetting that she couldn't actually hear him and was literally shouting in Cisco's ear.

  
_"Ow!"_ Cisco yelled, " _Dude, my ears!"_

  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he quickly apologized, "Just...put Cait on the phone."

  
" _Not really physically possible since she's locked in an impenetrable cage but I can do loudspeaker."_

  
"Do it then."

_"Loudspeaker on."_

  
"Cait?"

_"...I'm here," she answered after a long while, "I know what you're going to ask of me, and I really want to but I just-I'm scared...I'm scared of what I'll see, of what I'll have to relive."_

  
"I understand," he said truthfully, "I wish that I didn't have to ask you to do this, you have no idea, but-"

  
"Caitlin?" Iris' voice joined in from behind him Barry, "Can you hear me?"

  
_"I hear you..."_ she replied and Barry automatically handed Iris the phone.

  
"Hi, it's-um, it's Iris," she said nervously.

  
_"I recognize the voice."_

  
"Um, I don't know a lot of what's going on or what you have to with possibly finding out where my dad is but if there is any chance, any chance at all that you can help, please, I'm begging you...help me get my dad back."

  
There was silence on the other end of the call.

  
"Okay, I don't know if you won't reply to me or you're just giving me a chance to talk but I'll continue. I don't know anything about you, where your dad is or who he is but my dad and I, we have something special, see...we take care of each other and since he's taken care of me his entire life I just want to do the same for him now. My mother is, well, she's not in the picture so my dad is all I have...I know that we haven't exactly been besties in the past and I'm probably putting you in a really difficult situation but I'm begging you...please, if you won't do it for me, so it for my dad, he's a really great man...please."

  
There was an uncertain silence, followed by Caitlin's deep sigh, followed by...

  
" _Okay,"_ Caitlin said finally, " _Okay, I'll do it; I'll try for your dad, and for you."_

  
"Thank you," Iris said in quiet surprise, because honestly, nobody really expected that to work.

  
_"I can't make any promises,"_ Caitlin warned, " _I can only try."_

  
"That's all I ask, Caitlin, thank you again."

  
_"Don't thank me yet, we're not out he the woods yet..."_

And somehow, Barry had the ominous feeling that weren't even anywhere close. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo sorry for being so late with this chapter, babes!  
> Busy, busy.  
> But here it is, hope you guys find it worth the wait.  
> Xo


	12. The Storm before the Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe's rescue mission is underway and Barry and Iris face something they've been avoiding for a very long while.

"Are you sure you have to go?" She whispered, although he wasn't quite sure why, "I mean, I know you said that you were going but now that we're here...I don't want you to."

  
"I'll be careful, Iris," he promised, caressing her face gently, "I have to go, I'll be back and when I get back, it'll be with your dad. Don't worry, I won't be alone, I'll have help."

  
She smiled lightly, the way the sunset hit her face as they stood in the driveway was breathtaking, almost angelic.

  
Though it broke his heart to leave her, the police were in way over their heads, he was the only one who could make things right.

  
Caitlin had made good on her word and gotten them the information they needed, the effects of her decision, however, hard to tell whether they would be long lasting.

  
He took her hands into his and kissed then lightly but longingly, lovingly, like they were her lips.

  
When he finally released them, she was looking at him with the most adoring eyes he had ever seen; her eyes glistened with something magical.

  
"Keep an eye out," he said, giving her a wink as he left her.

 

  
  
"You know, I really didn't think we'd have to be having this conversation again," Cisco groaned.

  
"Cisco, you're the one who helped me get the location," Barry shot back, zipping up his Flash suit.

  
"Yeah, because I thought you were going to be a good little speedster and do this the safe way, with the help of the police."

  
"The police are in way over their heads with this guy and since when do you have absolutely zero faith in me?"

  
"I'm sorry, I-" he sighed frustratedly, "It's not that I don't believe in you it's just...I'm worried, you know how dangerous this freak is."

  
"Dangerous or not, I have to put a stop to this and save Joe."

  
Cisco nodded and seemingly accepted defeat, "Will you at least get the police to back you up?"

  
"It's too dangerous, someone could get hurt....where's H.R and Caitlin?"

  
"Caitlin's...well, she's not doing too well, she's been locked up downstairs by herself ever since I took her off the machine, H.R. just went to check on her."

  
"Shit," he whispered under his breath, "Is she going to be okay?"

  
"I don't know," Cisco said sadly, shrugging his shoulders.

  
"I've lingered here long enough, every second I spend here is another second that Joe loses. Tell her...tell her I'll check up on her when I get back and to hold strong."

  
"I will, be careful out there, man."

  
Barry nodded promptly and sped off, leaving Cisco behind in his dust.

 

  
   
  
The coordinates where Joe was supposedly being kept led Barry to an abandoned warehouse because that wasn't cliche at all. Why did the bad guys always go for the abandoned warehouses? Still, it was a good refuge and hidden in plain sight, it seemed newly abandoned and it was amongst a few other warehouses that were fully operational. Hardly anyone would think about investigating a newly closed warehouse especially one that was so in the open, it just made more sense for the bad guy to hole up in a secluded area, but Barry was finding more and more that not much made sense when it came to this guy.

  
He walked around to the back of the building, ready to use his powers to phase through the walls and inside because he couldn't possibly just walk through the front door, right?

  
Wrong. Barry immediately began to feel like a lamb being led to the slaughter, this freak was expecting him, why else would he leave the entrance open for him to just waltz in?

  
He proceeded cautiously but quickly, who knew how much time Joe had left. As he continued, he could feel the air becoming thinner and a hell of a lot colder. He shook himself off and went even further despite the shiver running down his spine; the building appeared new on the inside but there seemed to have been some sort of explosion. There was shrapnel everywhere, the place had a strange scent, it was difficult to describe but all he could say was that it wasn't at all pleasant.

  
Barry walked and walked until he found himself in the middle of a big arena of sorts, the area was completely clear with the exception of a single chair in the center, it had to be Joe.

  
The air was almost freezing, it had to have been below 0 degrees or at least close, he had to keep his body in a state of constant vibration to withstand it.

  
"Joe?" He called as he drew near the seated figure, "Joe, can you hear me?"

  
No response. He wasn't dead, that much he knew, he could still spot a weak rise and fall in the chest.

  
"The human body is amazing, isn't it?" A voice echoed throughout the arena, it was hard to pinpoint where it was coming from, it sounded like it was coming from all sides, "It can adapt to a great many things, but it has limitations, judging by the look of this one, he doesn't have very long left."

  
"What have you done?" Barry growled, "Where are you?"

  
"Here," the voice rang from one corner of the room, "There," again from another side, "Everywhere..."

  
"Where are you?!"

  
"Does that really matter right now?" The man teased, "What you've come here for us right in front of you."

  
"Am I supposed to believe that you'll just let me take him so easily?"

  
"Oh, Barry," he laughed condescendingly, "I'm a very simple creature, I don't know how you haven't realized that yet."

  
"You're trying to make me let my guard down, it won't work, if I have to fight you for him, I will."

  
"I'm more of a mastermind than a fighter, and physically, there's nothing stopping you from saving him."

  
Barry quickly scanned the area, as far as his eyes could see, there didn't seem to be any immediate threats but he still didn't trust the situation or this lunatic.

  
"Better hurry up and make a decision," the man said casually, "You may be able to vibrate your molecules to keep yourself warm but Joe here can't; by the looks of it, he's already well into the stages of severe hypothermia."

  
Barry couldn't worry about his self preservation any longer, he had to throw caution to the wind.

  
He began to slowly lift Joe off from the seat and place his arm around his neck for support. Shit, his skin was freezing, hopefully his vibrating skin against his would help him regain some form of body heat.

  
"Careful now," the man warned, "Extreme exposure to cold can cause frostbite, wouldn't want the detective here to get back home in pieces."

  
As much as Barry just wanted this guy to just shut the hell up, he was right, he had to be extremely careful, even using his speed could cause disaster.

  
"Go on and get the detective home," the man continued, only his voice wasn't far away anymore...it was right behind him, "Home to to his daughter, his precious little daughter."

  
"Don't you even mention her in your mouth in any way," Barry seethed, turning around to face the man as his cloaked figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the building.

  
"Wow, you're angry aren't you?"

  
"You're just lucky I have Joe here or I would take you down right here, right now."

  
The man hummed thoughtfully, "I don't doubt that you would, after all, you would do anything to protect those you love, wouldn't we all? I'm sure even Joe here would go to lengths to protect his loved ones, especially Iris."

  
"I said not to call her name in your mouth, you bastard!"

  
"You know, sometimes the people we look up to the most are the ones who disappoint us the most...has he told you?"

  
"Told me what?" Barry asked furiously.

  
"Well, if you have to ask, then obviously..."

  
"Answer me, or I swear to god..."

  
"I have all the answers, Barry," he boasted proudly, "And I would gladly share with you, right this second, everything you've ever wanted to know, everything you've been questioning..."

  
Barry remained quiet though he was breathing harshly, this guy was getting the best of him.

  
"I won't trust anything you say," Barry said, though he could feel his resolve slipping, he so wanted answers, "You used one of my best friends, you made her do things she can't even stomach thinking about right now, all you are is a monster."

  
"Barry, never in my life have I made anyone do anything they didn't want to do... just like I'm not making you stay here right now, but for some reason, you're still here..."

  
Why was he still here? He had Joe to see about, yet he was standing here entertaining this madman. He couldn't say a word, even he couldn't explain his actions.

  
"So, there are two sides of a scale," the man began, taking a seat in the empty chair that Joe was on, "On the one side, you have the detective, the father of the love of your life and your father figure and on the other side you have Ms. West, whose life you just might be able to save if you knew the information that I possess, because let's face it, Barry, if you don't stop me, I _will_ kill her."

  
Barry hesitated, he looked over at Joe thrown over over his neck then back at the man who was now tapping his foot as if to show impatience.

  
"....I won't let that happen," Barry said finally, "I will protect her and I will end you the next time we meet, you can count on it."

  
The man chuckled darkly, "Have it your own way, Flash, but don't say I never gave you a chance...you should hurry and get the detective out of here, he looks a bit blue."

  
There was pure anger in Barry's eyes as he turned and left the man behind, dragging a limp Joe over his neck.

  
"Say hi to Ms. West for me," the man called out from behind making Barry's blood boil even more, and for the first time in his life, he knew what hatred felt like.

 

  
  
  
There were police flooding the hospital at every turn, they'd received an anonymous tip off from a "Good Samaritan" that Detective Joe West had been found and brought in to a hospital downtown.

  
Barry was fortunate that there was a hospital nearby to so he didn't have to carry Joe very far, it was already hard enough that he had to carry all his weight without using his speed.

  
Barry looked through the crowd to see if he could find Iris, he was certain she'd be here since she was probably waiting at the precinct the entire time for any news.

  
"Barry?" Patty called as she caught his arm.

  
"Patty, hey," he said in an overly surprised voice because he actually was because he kinda, sorta forgot she was working at the precinct. It was horrible, he knew, but that was how far his mind was these days. The only thing he was thinking about and ever thought about was Iris and that was a danger in itself.

  
"Hey, I feel like I haven't seen you in so long...crazy what's happening, huh?"

  
"Yeah, crazy," he said distractedly as he tried to look past her head for any sign of Iris, not very subtly, though.

  
"Looking for someone?"

  
"Yeah, Iris, have you seen her?"

  
"Well, I-"

  
"Barry," Iris called behind him and he almost got whiplash turning around to face her so quickly.

  
"Iris...I've been looking all over for you, are you okay?"

  
"Of course, I am," she sighed, unexpectedly wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace, "I'm just so glad you're okay."

  
"I'm fine," he assured her, hugging her tight, "You don't need to worry about me...did you hear anything about your dad?"

  
"Well," she began, "I just got in to see the doctor and they say that he's in some sort of coma, most likely related to the intensity of the coldness he was exposed to and the length of time he was exposed to it but they're just glad he didn't lose any limbs, they say he was like, this close to getting frostbite."

  
"And the coma?" Barry asked, "How long do they think he could be in it?"

  
"They're not exactly sure, they're hoping he wakes up once his core body temperature decreases to normal but they can't warm him up too fast or they could cause permanent damage to some of his the cells, they just have to let it happen gradually."

  
"That's rough..."

  
"It is, but he's going to be okay, I know it, for once in my life, I'm not worried out of my mind...strange, right? My dad almost died and possibly still could and I'm not worried."

  
"You're tough, I'm not surprised."

  
"You flatter me, Barry," she said, grinning slightly.

  
"Just stating facts," he replied, returning her smile.

  
"I agree," Patty slipped in, trying to catch their attention.

  
"Oh, Patty, hi," Iris said, smiling politely, "I didn't see you standing there."

 

"It's fine," she said unconvincingly, "You've got a lot on your mind...I have to leave but I'll be here checking up on your dad every now and again, I hope he gets better soon."

  
"I do too, thank you, Patty."

  
"No problem, I'll-um, I'll see you guys around, I guess," she said as she quickly walked off.

  
"You will," Barry said, "See you at the precinct."

  
"Is she okay?" Iris asked, frowning slightly.

  
"What do you mean?" Barry asked, completely oblivious.

  
"Well, she seemed a little weird just now."

  
"She did?"

  
"Oh, Barry," she sighed.

  
He couldn't help it that he was so clueless when it came to every woman except her.

  
"So...where are you staying tonight?" He asked hesitantly, "What with your dad not being around and all?"

  
"I...don't know, I guess I haven't really thought about it. I could always stay at home, it won't be an issue."

  
"Are you sure? I mean, safety-wise?"

  
Did you have something in mind?"

  
Yes, yes, hell yes. This was the perfect opportunity for her to stay at his apartment even though it was pretty low-down of him to use Joe's incapacitated state to get her to stay with him. Didn't stop him though.

  
"Well, I mean, not-not really," he stammered, "I just want you to know that...if ever you decide that you want to, my door is open, always...for you."

  
Iris nodded knowingly, clearly she was amused by him but she didn't comment on his weird awkwardness, "That's good to know, I'll let you know if I decide to take you up on that."

  
"Good," he said, clearing his throat, "That's good."

  
"Well, I'm gonna go tell my dad bye; the doctors say there's probably like a 50 percent chance he can hear me when I talk, so..."

  
Tell him I say bye too, they won't let anyone but family in the room."

  
"I will...thank you, Barry."

  
"Please stop thanking me, and always."

 

   
  
It had been a long time since he had visited Iris as the Flash; he liked doing it because it was a way for him to talk to her and say things to her that he couldn't as Barry Allen, it was like a release.  
  
She told him she'd be at home, presumably alone, so it seemed like a good time.

  
He donned his suit and quickly headed over to her place. When he arrived, he'd just caught her opening the front door, which was probably better than phasing through her door, going up to her room and then having to explain that after the fact.

  
"Ms. West," he called from behind her, his voice vibrating, "Sorry to hinder you, but if I could have a moment."

  
"Somehow I figured I'd be seeing you tonight," she remarked, abandoning her priority of opening the door.

  
"Well, after my last visit, I figured a proper visit was in order; sorry about sweeping you off your feet like that.

"  
"I've had sufficient time to get over it," she assured him, "But I'm glad you're here, so I can thank you."

  
"Thank me, what for?"

  
"I know it was you who saved my dad, the police are in over their heads, way over their heads, there's no way this was them."

  
He hesitated for a while, should he admit to it or try to deny it?

  
"Well, there isn't very much that can go over your head, is there, Miss West?"

  
"You forget I do investigation work for a living."

  
He chuckled lightly and she smiled, making her way over to him.

  
He was mostly shrouded in darkness where he was standing but he still didn't want her in such proximity to him; he took two steps back.

  
She halted.

  
"You're not afraid of me are you?" She quipped.

  
"Pretty, little thing like you? Never."

  
It's the pretty ones you gotta look out for, you know," she warned, taking more steps toward him.

  
She moved so close to him that he reflexively ran to stand right behind her, leaving her momentarily blindsided.

  
She gasped harshly, turning her head to the side the view him in her peripheral vision.

  
"What are you trying to do?" He asked, so close behind her that he was almost pressed against her behind.

  
"Touch you," she panted.

  
"Touch me, why?"

  
"Just to see how it feels, when you...vibrate."

  
"That's a bit of a strange request."

"I'm a bit of a strange girl," she retorted.

  
He wasn't sure where this was coming from but it couldn't really do any harm, so...

  
"Don't move," he warned her, "This might feel a little weird."

  
She tensed her muscles and prepared her body for the feeling, he was standing behind her so she couldn't really know when it was coming, which probably made it all the more nerve-wracking.  
Her eyes were screwed shut as she anticipated his touch, and he had to admit, he liked teasing her a bit.

  
"Ready?" He asked.

  
She scoffed loudly, "I've been ready for like a minute now, just...go ahead."

  
"Don't be scared, it's more pleasurable than it is scary."

  
With that, he reached his hand and lightly touched her lower back, letting the sensation spread through her body.  
She gasped loudly and he could swear he heard a hint of a moan make its way out of her throat.

  
Her legs gave nearly gave way and he removed his hand immediately and held his arms out to brace her. Thankfully, she regained her footing on her own.

  
"Are you alright?" He asked with concern, although he knew she was, the vibrations weren't actually harmful, she was just unaccustomed to the feeling.

  
"Holy shit," she said, panting quickly, "Holy shit, that was..."

  
"The last time I'll ever do that," he added, the amusement was clear in his voice, "Ms. West, you almost passed out."

  
"It was worth it," she laughed, "That was...completely amazing, you're amazing."

  
Okay, he was blushing, good thing he was wearing this mask.

  
"It's late," he said, changing the topic, "You should head in and I should leave you to head in."

  
"Yeah, I suppose you're right, I think I need to lie down anyways, I feel...strange."

  
"Yes, the vibration can do that, leaves you a little shaken."

  
"Well...I think I'll see you again, sooner rather than later."

  
"Perhaps."

  
She smiled a smile that had him wondering if she knew something he didn't, and he really wanted to know what that was.

  
"By the way," she called, stopping him before he could take off, "I think I've decided to take your advice.

  
""And what advice would that be?"

  
"Wouldn't you like to know? Good night, Flash," she grinned mischievously, closing the door and leaving him wondering like she often did so many times.

  
   
_Knock knock_.

  
  
"Just a minute," Barry said, he'd just finished taking a bath and hadn't even put any clothes on yet, yet another dire situation that required super speed.He hadn't too long come home after leaving Iris and now he was just ready to relax, it was already past midnight.What she said before she shut the door in his face had him really wondering, he seemed to do that a lot it came to her.He put on a white t-shirt and a thick, cotton trap pants, he wasn't one to wear jammies, so this was as close as he got.

  
  
_Knock knock knock knock._

 

  
"Just a second," he shouted. Who could possibly be so impatient at half past 12 in the morning, knocking on his door? If anything, he should be the impatient one since it was way past visitor time.

  
The only person he would even think about letting in at this hour was-

  
"Iris?" He said, this was...a bit surprising.

  
"I thought you said your door would be open for me?" She accused, "Do you have any idea how long I was standing here?"

  
"Yeah, figuratively, I..." he trailed off as she blew past him and just kind of let herself in.

  
"This is a nice apartment," she said casually, "Don't really remember much of it from the last time I was here."

  
"Understandably, since you were drunk as a fish the one night and completely hung over in the morning."

  
"Hmm, did I wake you? Am I intruding?"

  
"No, you- you just kinda..." he trailed off again as she removed her overcoat, revealing an extremely sexy and off the shoulder shirt that clung to her thin frame and left her cleavage overly exposed and a short high waisted denim pants. Her hair was a bit wild, not neat and proper like it usually was, it gave him a picture of how she might look after they...

  
"....Kinda..." he continued slowly, he was literally trying to form words here, "Caught me off guard..."

  
"So it would seem," she said flirtatiously, sitting down on the couch, "I thought about your offer and I would like to stay here, at least for the night, if the offer still stands, that is."

  
Yeah, and something else was definitely standing too, he didn't even try to hide it.

  
"Um, yea, of course it still stands," he said softly, shuffling to the kitchen with his awkward boner, "You can use my bed and I'll sleep out here on the couch."

  
"Oh, don't be silly, Barry, I'm not going to let you sleep on the couch."

  
"Well, alright, I was trying to be gentleman but you can sleep on the couch."

  
Iris rolled her eyes and walked to the kitchen, "I meant, we can both sleep on your bed, together, we've done it before."

  
"Yes, and it required a great deal of effort on my part."

  
She remained quiet and looked at him with a soft expression, walking up to him so that there was barely any space between them, "Well, what if...you didn't try so hard this time?"

 

He furrowed his brow as he looked down at her, was she saying what he thought she was saying?

  
"Iris..."

  
"Barry," she replied, taking his hand and placing it under her top to feel her bare breast. She was most definitely not wearing a bra.

  
His breath caught in his throat as his hand touched her delicate flesh, her skin was hot and soft.

  
He hesitated, wanting so bad to touch her the way he wanted but he held back. This was all he ever wanted, but now that it was finally happening, it was like he couldn't believe it.

  
"Iris, I-"

  
"Barry, don't," she said softly, "Don't think about this, we've been holding back ever since the day that we met each other, just feel me...please."

  
He closed his eyes and kneaded her flesh gently in his hands, squeezing her erect nipples when his fingers could reach. His breathing sped up as he leaned his forehead against hers, pushing her against the kitchen counter. She felt so perfect, like he always dreamt.

  
She was gasping and moaning softly at his ministrations, egging him on with her own hand. He had never seen her like this before, so wanton, it was damn hot.

"God, I love when you touch me," she murmured.

  
His dick was getting painfully harder by the second, he couldn't take much more of this, he wanted her, now. If he didn't get her, he might've just blown his load right then and there.

  
"Iris," he gasped, releasing her, "I-I can't-"

  
"It's okay," she whispered, reaching down to squeeze his rock-hard erection, making him groan, "I know what you want, I want it too. I don't want to hold back anymore, Barry. I don't want to pretend anymore. I don't want to try not to want you anymore. I want you to take me, I want you to have all of me, I'm yours...somehow I think I always have been."

  
Was this a dream? It sure felt like it.

  
"I promised you that I would never take  
you unless you were in your right mind and you asked me to."

  
"I promise you that I am not drunk nor intoxicated this time," she purred, making him grin, "And I'm asking you...do you want me to beg too?"

  
"That...would be extremely sexy," he admitted, taking her by the waist, "But honestly, you don't even have to ask me twice..."  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, babes!  
> Hope you guys like this chapter, especially the end, just another thing that's been a long time coming.  
> The next chapter will most likely be very Explicit so be prepared lol  
> xo


	13. All Roads Lead to...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes a little break from plot to focus on what really matters, WestAllen smut. Seriously, you guys, there's no plot in this one, just smut. If you're not into that kinda thing, you can skip this one. The rating is explicit because of content.

Too many things were happening at once. Too many.

  
Her hands were all over him, one grasping-no, clawing at the hair at the nape of his neck and one gripping onto to his flexing arm muscle.

  
He had her in his arms, his large hands engulfing her tiny waist, kneading at her frame, squeezing, he had never wanted any girl this bad before, never.

  
Their tongues were entangled together, the kiss wasn't rough but it was strong, passionate, actually, as Barry recalled, this was their first real kiss since...ever, and he was loving every minute of it.

  
She tried to gain dominance over him with her tongue as they devoured each other, but he wouldn't let her. He demanded her submission without actually saying it in so many words and she complied. She moaned lightly and loosened her grip on him, as he tightened his grip on her.

  
He took advantage of her lapse and used his body to back her up against the fridge, bottles and everything clattering with the contact.

  
"Barry..." she tried to call.

  
"No," he said immediately, pressing his lips back to hers, "You seriously have no idea how long I've wanted this, so please just just shut up..."

  
She began giggling softly at his impatience.

  
"...And let me have this."

  
"As you wish, Mr. Allen," she replied sultrily, "My lips are sealed."

  
"Thank god," he murmured as he resumed kissing her, both of them smiling into the kiss.

  
The joking atmosphere didn't last long though, in no time the room was filled sighs of contentment, moans of satisfaction and grunts of pure pleasure, that last part was mainly him.

  
"God, if I could have you right here on this floor, I would," he murmured huskily as he shoved his hands down between her pants to cup her ass.

  
"Well, why not?" She panted, nipping at his lips in short intervals.

  
"I want to...do this right," he whispered distractedly as she pressed her lips all over his neck, "As bad as I want you I don't want our first time to be on my kitchen floor."

  
"I don't mind," she breathed, placing light kisses on his jaw and under his chin.

  
"I do," he said firmly, cupping her chin so that he had her attention now, "Sue me, I'm a romantic."

  
Iris smiled and shook her head in wonder, "Oh, Barry, anywhere you want me, you can have me."

  
Her words were like music to his damn ears.

  
"Good," he said simply, smirking as he effortlessly lifted her by the waist like a doll onto the kitchen counter, making her squeak in surprise, "Right now, I want you right here."

  
"Okay," she said softly, staring at him intently, probably waiting to see what he would do next, he loved keeping her in suspense.

  
He pulled her closer to the edge of the counter and spread her legs open so that he could nestle himself between them. They were close, her body up against his as he looked down at her with lust. Her skin was soft like butter and just the perfect shade of brown, he was absolutely in love with it, and her. He squeezed her thighs and smoothed his hand over them gently, up and down, over and over again, he couldn't get enough.

  
Even though he could see that she was getting impatient, she said nothing, she just let him do as he would, he loved the control he had.

  
"Getting impatient?" He teased and she huffed lightly.

  
"I thought you of all people would've been eager to get right to it."

  
"Oh, I am, I just like torturing you."

  
"Who's getting tortured more right now?" She asked, pushing her hips toward his impossibly hard cock, "Me or you?"

  
Most likely him, but he wasn't about to admit it.

  
Instead, he undid her pants and pushed his hand down to her core where she was warm, incredibly wet and not wearing any underwear.

  
"Jesus Christ," he muttered as she gasped loudly and clamped her thighs together around his hand. He began slowly moving his fingers against her clit, rubbing it softly, but not entering her. The feeling was just as sweet for him as he was sure it was for her.

  
She gasped and moaned softly, dropping her head against his chest as she slowly ground herself against his hand.

  
"I'd say it's a tie," he said finally, struggling to keep himself together because the truth is, he was probably more far gone than she was, though he didn't show it.

  
"Oh...oh," she shivered and moaned  
as she began riding his calloused hands even faster.

  
"Take what you need," he murmured, flicking his fingers more quickly to draw out her pleasure. His hand was covered in her juices already and she hadn't even orgasmed, he loved that she was so wet for him.

  
"Bar-ryyy," she whined quietly into his shirt, "I- please..."

  
"Are you imagining it's my cock that's fucking you?" He asked and she gasped loudly, nodding frantically.

  
He skillfully used his free hand to pull her pants out from under her, down her legs and onto the floor, never once letting up on pleasuring her with his other hand.  
She was now delightfully bare and open for his viewing now, it turned him on even more to see that she was literally dripping all over his kitchen counter.

  
"Barry, I-I think I'm gonna..." she trailed off as her breathing sped up...and then he stopped.

  
She whimpered softly, still trying to find some friction against his hand, "Why did you stop?"

  
"Because I want to be inside you the first time I make you come for me," he said, removing the hand that was now covered with her sticky juices. He was so tempted to just lick his entire hand clean right there in front of her, but now he didn't think he could hold out too much longer to be inside her.

  
He hoisted her up in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist, and took her to his bed. When they got there, he very gently lay her down on her back in the middle, like she was glass or something that could break.

  
He pulled back to take in the view of this gorgeous vixen that lay before him, and she was all his...she was...

  
"Beautiful," he said reverently, "You're so goddamn beautiful, Iris West."

  
She blushed shamelessly and averted her gaze from his, his words suddenly making her shy.

  
He rid himself of his shirt first, leaving his pants on for a while though it was painful to do so, he had something in mind before he took his real prize, he had to keep some form of control if he was going to do that.

  
He crawled onto the bed, perching himself over her and she immediately wrapped her legs around him, pulling him down to her.

  
"You're too far," she whined, kissing him longingly, and he couldn't help but melt into the kiss. They kissed messily, tongue everywhere, teeth clashing but the passion they had for each other made it that away.

  
She began rubbing her bare core against his erection which made him instinctively grind himself against her and they both moaned at the contact.

  
He pulled her top down past her arms so that her breasts were now exposed to him, her brown nipples were extremely hard already. He didn't hesitate to take one of them into his mouth while he fondled her other breast gently with his hand.

  
He sucked hard, not hard enough to hurt her but to give her just the perfect amount of pleasure that she was craving.

  
Her back arched off the bed and her hands flew to his hair as she pressed his face down to her chest, almost painfully gripping his mussed up hair, but he didn't care. She was losing all control because of him, he could hear her gasps and broken moans as he switched over to the next nipple, giving it the same treatment.

  
She was turning him on so much without even trying, he couldn't wait to be inside her.

  
"Barry," she gasped harshly, "God, you're driving me crazy..."

  
"Now you know how I feel all the time," he panted, pulling her top down her body and trailing kisses down her abdomen, "Now you know how I feel whenever I see you, whenever I'm around you...all I have to do is think about you and I'm instantly hard."

  
He continued his journey down past her navel then down to where he knew she wanted him most...then he passed it straight entirely, continuing down her legs.

  
She groaned in frustration, and he chuckled deviously, he was definitely enjoying making her wait even though it was killing him slowly.

  
"I wish I could kiss every single inch of your skin," he murmured, holding her leg up slightly so he could kiss the inside of her thigh and all around it, "I will one day, that's a promise."

  
"Barry, _please_ ," she whined, "I need you now...please."

  
"I see that," he teased, looking at the big wet spot that she had made in his bed, she was flowing like a waterfall.

  
Without saying anything else, he stood up, removing his pants and crawled back above her, holding himself up on his shoulders.

  
He took a moment to take her in; her hair was fanned out on the bed, some stray strands covering her face, her skin glowing, her chest slowly rising and falling as she looked at him with those doe eyes.

  
"What?" She whispered.

  
"Nothing," he said, tucking the hair that was in her face behind her ears, "You're just really gorgeous, that's all."

  
Truthfully, he was about to tell her that he loved her but the timing didn't seem right somehow, he would wait.

  
He took his swollen cock into his hand, rubbing it lightly up and down her soaking slit, teasing her.

  
Before she could protest again, he kissed her lips softly causing her to moan into his mouth.

  
"Are you sure?" He asked against her lips, just for good measure.

  
"I'm more than sure," she said softly, "I want you...only you."

  
Her words made his heart swell as he kissed her again and began to guide himself into her.

  
He shuddered softly, the feeling was indescribable, he had wondered for so long what she would feel like and like he expected, it was fucking amazing and he wasn't even halfway into her yet.

  
As he continued entering her, just as he was about to lose himself he noticed her grimacing and stopped immediately.

  
"Iris?" He asked with concern, "Hey, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

  
"No, it's okay," she assured him, "It's just been a long while and you're...well, you're a little bigger than I'm used to...I'm sorry."

  
"Don't be," he murmured softly, "We'll go slow, I'll be gentle."

  
"Okay," she whispered, smiling thankfully.

  
"Ready?"

  
She nodded hesitantly and he again began pushing very slowly into her till he was almost down to the hilt. She was so tight. So. Damn. Tight. He felt like he belonged inside her. Moving as slowly as he was was killing him, he wanted nothing more than to just fuck her till she couldn't walk for days but he had to control himself.

  
" _Shit_..." he muttered between gritted teeth, "Shit, shit, shit, baby..."

  
She gasped lightly, biting down on her lip as he filled her at an almost maddening pace. She let out an unintentional squeak and he wasn't quite sure if it was because of pain or pleasure, or both.

  
"Hey, let me know if I'm hurting you," he warned threatening to stop.

  
"No, no," she insisted, panting, "You aren't, please don't stop.

  
He nodded and continued with a slightly faster pace.

  
This time she moaned lightly, clearly indicating that she was enjoying it now.

  
"Feel good?"

  
"Yeah," she whispered, "Really good, really, really...."

  
He chuckled lightly as she began losing herself in the feeling; her grip on him was tight, her head thrown back as she took her pleasure from him.

  
"Faster?"

  
"Yes...please."

  
And so he did, he rocked back and forth, moving in and out of her with a rhythm, each stroke more demanding than the last, yet still gentle enough.

  
"I wanna make you feel good, this is all for you."

  
"God, you feel amazing, Barry," she moaned, "Don't ever stop..."

  
He grunted his understanding as he kissed and nipped at her neck, leaving what he was pretty sure would turn out to be a hickey in the morning.

  
"You look so beautiful like this," he remarked, pulling her out from her trance.

  
"Like what?" She panted.

  
"Losing yourself in me," he grunted as he gave a particularly deep stroke, causing her to moan much more loudly than he knew she could.

  
She instinctively covered her mouth after the action but Barry moved it, holding the hand over her head.

  
"Don't...that was the sexiest fucking thing I've ever heard in my life, I want to hear it again."

  
He pushed deeper into her...deeper, deeper, deeper still until she moaned again in pure ecstasy, this time louder than before, he was surprised by how much of him she could take.

  
"Yesss," he hissed, "Moan for me..."

  
"Barry," she whimpered, clawing at his muscles, looking for something, anything to grip onto, "Please..."

  
He moved then, all the way out as if leaving her body then all the way back in, to the hilt, hard.

  
She cried out loudly, he could swear he saw her eyes roll up in her head...so much, he had so much to give her, but he would control himself, this was their first time, after all.

  
"God, the things you make me want to do to you..." he murmured in a shaky voice, "You have no idea how sweet you are."

  
He repeated his previous action, reducing the force slightly, he had to remember to be gentle to a point.

  
"You okay?" He asked.

  
"...Uh-huh," she squeaked, she was gripping his arms so tight he thought she might leave marks, "Don't-don't stop, please."

  
"Never," he promised as he stroked her just the way she wanted, he could tell she was enjoying it by the sounds she was making, they were unholy sounds to his ears, and oh, so sexy.

  
He began swiveling his hips as he continued his deep strokes and she moaned wantonly, digging her nails roughly into and across his back.

  
"Ahh..." he groaned but he didn't let up, whatever she did to him would heal in a little while, right now all he cared about was getting her off, he could tell she was close.

  
Then without warning she just sort of started clamping her walls rhythmically around his aching cock, tightening then relaxing, tightening and relaxing, over and over again...

  
" _Fuck_!" He whispered harshly, "What the fuck are you..."

  
Whether or not she was doing that on purpose, he had no idea but he wasn't going to last much longer if she kept it up.

  
" _Barry, Barry, Barry_..." she chanted, she was far gone, and he was extremely close behind, he had to get her off before he got off.

  
He stroked faster, more rhythm, groaning softly as he struggled to keep himself together...just a little more.

  
Her moans were so goddamn sweet, so innocent yet devastatingly sexy, he felt like he could come just listening to her.

  
"Do you want me inside you?" He shuddered, sweat rolling down his face as he continued moving, his movements were becoming more and more haphazard.

  
"You are..." she panted, barely able to say those words, or any words, really.

  
"Not like that, do you want me to..."

  
He knew she understood what he meant now.

  
"Yes," she said desperately, "Yes, yes, please, I want...I want..."

  
"What do you want?" He grunted.

  
"I... I can't- I don't know...I can't, Barry, I can't think, I..." she whimpered, gripping the sheets of the bed to keep some form of sanity.

  
"God, Iris, I can't hold out any more," he groaned, "Come on, do this for me, give it up for me...I need it...please, Iris..."

  
She began to tremble and gasp wildly and he knew that she was there. He could feel her walls clamping in on his cock already, squeezing him for all he was worth.

  
"That's it," he cooed, struggling to even speak, his voice came out gravelly and raspy, "So _damn_ beautiful when you're coming for me...so, so beautiful..."

  
"Barry," she mewled, back bowing off the bed as she shuddered and convulsed, her lips forming a perfect O as a strangled cry tried to escape her lips, but to no avail.

  
Now...now he could let go.

  
" _Fuck_...oh, fuck, Iris..." he groaned, burying his face in her neck and gripping her hair softly as he shook uncontrollably, pouring all of himself into her till there was nothing at all left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this, sorry for the wait. Next chapter should bring the plot back lol  
> Thanks for reading! xo


	14. The Cat's out of the Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Iris' relationship slowly begins to blossom and a minor scare somewhat helps to lead to a major confession.

Iris was in his arms, naked. They lay in his bed, they had been laying there for a while now, neither saying a word. There wasn't much that was left to be said after what just happened between them.

  
"That was...mind-blowing," she said in amazement, "That was...wow."

  
He chuckled as he rolled over on top of her, supporting his weight on his elbows, "Left you speechless?

"  
"Yeah," she grinned, biting her lip, "I'd say so, not many people can do that...I didn't realize that you'd be so...dominating, in the bedroom."

  
"Not what you're used to?"

  
"No...but I like it, and you're good at it."

  
"Now I feel all special," he teased, "And it really is extremely arousing to me when you beg."

  
"Well, look at that, Barry Allen has a kink."

  
"Only when you're involved, you know, I'd imagined you were beautiful, underneath it all-"

  
"You mean naked," she corrected him.  
"Yes, naked...but my imagination could never have lived up to the real thing, I mean, you're just...stunning, every single inch of you."

  
"You don't know when to quit, do you?" She joked, running her hand through his mussed up hair.

  
"I'll never stop telling you."

  
"I believe you," she whispered, giving him a quick peck on the lip, "So...about what just happened..."

  
"A lot of things just happened."

  
"The last part, specifically, when you..."

  
"Came inside you? What about it?"

  
"I'm on the pill...did you know that?"

  
"No..." he furrowed his brows, "I mean, I suspected you were when I asked you if you wanted me to...you know."

  
"But you weren't sure...Barry, what if I was so deep in the throes of passion that I just said the first thing that came to my mind?"

  
He shrugged nonchalantly and gave her a little smirk.

  
"Oh my god, Barry," she said incredulously.

  
"What?" He said innocently, "More of you to love."

  
And then he realized what the hell he actually just said. It wasn't a big deal, per se, it was just that they had never really said the L word before, she didn't seem thrown off by it though.

  
"Um, so why are you on the pill anyway?" He asked, quickly changing the subject before she could comment.

  
She snorted humorously, "Barry, I got on the pill the first day that I met you."

  
"Are you serious?" He laughed, "Are you actually serious?"

  
"I'm serious!" She retorted, like he was the one being ridiculous, "I wasn't about to take any chances, we seemed like the type to just fuck at any given time."

  
"Still can't get used to you saying that word," he mused, "Yet it makes me feel some type of...way."

  
"It makes you feel hot," she explained for him, "I know because I can feel you twitching against my stomach."

  
They both snickered quietly at that and Barry couldn't even be bothered anymore.

  
"By the way, how is that you can possible be hard again after everything we just did?" She asked suspiciously, "What are you, the Energizer Bunny? Not that I'm complaining."

  
"I have a lot of stamina," he said plainly, "It's just a thing with me...or maybe it's you."

  
"In any event, I think you and I are going to be having a lot of fun with each other."

  
Barry smiled, that meant that there would be a next time, a lot of next times, and that made him happy.

  
"So let's see it," she sighed, pushing him up off of her so that he was now sitting on his heels.

  
"See...what, exactly?" He asked, confused as she straddled his legs so she could see his back in the mirror directly ahead of the bed.

  
"The scratches...I was pretty sure I'd left more than a few on you," she said slowly, caressing his back, "There's not even a hint of any marks..."

  
"I have pretty tough skin," he lied.

  
He hated lying to her, it was different with her than with Patty. Although he didn't like lying Patty either she was always trying to push to find out his secret, it was her right, but it got old after a while. Iris on the other hand, she couldn't be bothered, she only took things as they came but she didn't prod...which was weird seeing as she was a journalist and all.

  
"I'll say," she quirked as she smirked mischievously, "So what this really means is, I can ravage your body whenever I want to and there'll be no repercussions."

  
He laughed at that one, "I'm so crazy for you, Iris West, I might even just let you do that."

  
She blushed and looked him directly in the eyes, those damn doe eyes again.

  
"You're sweet," she said, kissing him tenderly, "I could spend the entire day just kissing you."

  
"But then we'd be way late for work," he joked, crushing her body to his and deepening the kiss, "Because we totally care about that, right?"

  
"Yeah, totally," she said between kisses, "I'm really concerned."

  
He chuckled lightly, "By the way, did you want to check your dad before we go to work? See if anything's changed?"

  
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea, if we leave now we should make it to work in time, I have to get my clothes and everything together.

  
"Let's go then."

  
She pouted exaggeratedly and he frowned.

  
"What?" He asked, pouting just like her now and she laughed at his face.

  
"No morning sex," she answered, sniffing.

  
"Don't worry, after work this evening, I promise we can have all the sex you want."

  
Her eyes lit up like a star and he just couldn't help but be in love with this woman. Everything about her was so amazing, she had him thinking about doing crazy things like telling her he was the Flash, kids, marriage and everything that went with those.

  
"Tonight can't get here fast enough," she beamed with a wink.

 

  
"I have a hickey," she said casually.

  
They were at the hospital waiting to see the doctor and Iris was just checking herself out in the mirror of a glass window.

  
"Oh, yeah," he said, rubbing his neck sheepishly, "I forgot to tell you about that...sorry."

  
"I like it."

  
"I know, and I'm really sorry, I- um...wait, what?" He said slowly, finally taking in what she'd just said.

  
"I like it," she repeated in the exact same way, "Don't think I'll go through the trouble of covering it up."

  
"I'm sorry, must be something wrong with my ears 'cause all I keep hearing is 'I'm a little freak'."

  
"What can I say, I have a fetish for you marking me...it's a good way to show everyone that I'm yours, I am...right?"

  
"Uh-huh," he said quietly, grinning dopily.  
"Iris West?" The doctor called and she flew out of her seat immediately.

  
"Coming, can my...um, boyfriend come too?"

  
Barry's eyes widened. Why was this so weird? They'd had amazing sex last night and did all kinds of nasty and yet they were both kind of freaking out over the whole labeling process. It wasn't a big deal that she called him her boyfriend...he was. Kind of.

  
"Of course," the man said, "Any and all visitors are allowed."

  
Iris nodded politely and made her way into the room, Barry right behind her.

  
"As you can see, there's been no apparent change in his condition, but early this morning he opened his eyes a little, just for a split second and his vitals are better than they were...it might take a little while but think we're expecting a full recovery at this point."

  
Iris smiled widely and gave Barry a big hug which surprisingly felt very natural, he returned the hug fervently.

  
"That's amazing news, doctor," said Iris, obviously relieved, "You have no idea how happy we are to hear this, and thank you so much for taking such good care of my dad so far, I really love the orchids, they're his favorite.

  
"Oh, I agree, they're quite lovely but I can't take the credit for those."

  
"Wait, you didn't leave these?" She asked curiously.

  
"I didn't, a young man came in here yesterday afternoon shortly after you left and dropped them off, nice guy."

  
Barry saw Iris' smile begin to fade as the doctor went on talking, she was probably thinking the same thing he was.

  
"Wait, I'm sorry, this man, what did he look like?" Barry chimed in," If you don't mind us asking?"

  
"No, not at all, um, he looked to be in his late 20s, medium built and height, Caucasian, he wore a black hoodie so I couldn't really see his...face..."

  
The doctor trailed off when he saw both their expressions; Iris covered her mouth in horror just spinning in aimless circles, like she didn't know what to do with herself. Barry, in the other hand, just looked pissing mad.

  
"Is everything okay?" The doctor asked quietly although clearly, it wasn't.

"No, it isn't," Barry said firmly, pulling Iris into a comforting embrace, "The person who brought those flowers is a known criminal, he's wanted by the entire Central City Police Force, you need to lock this hospital down, get extra security, whatever you need to do. This man is extremely dangerous, and I know this wasn't your fault, you couldn't have known, but now that you do, you and everyone else in this hospital need to be alert."  
"I'll...inform the rest of the staff right away," the doctor said softly, obviously disenchanted. It was natural that he would feel responsible for what happened, but it was no one's fault, the bastard was as sneaky as they came.

  
"Thank you," Barry replied, placing a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder, "Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong, tighter security checks and everything will be fine; my girlfriend and I will be back to check in on him later this evening."

  
The man nodded promptly, slowly leaving the room behind Barry as Iris stopped to give her father a chaste kiss on the cheek before joining him.

  
"Do you want to take the day off today?" Barry asked, rubbing soothing circles into her shoulders, "This must be a little traumatic for you, I don't want you to be under any stress today...I can talk to your editor, let him-"

  
"No, I'll be fine," she insisted, stubbornly holding back tears, "I'll be fine..."

  
"Are you sure? Because it sounds like you're trying to convince yourself and not me."

  
She huffed softly under her breath, "I promise, I'm fine, Barry. There's really no need to worry, we should get going or we're both going to be late."

  
"Are you sure?" He prodded one more time, "Because we could be at my place having sex right now."

  
She snorted with laughter but he was really dead serious, "Even though that sounds amazing, I'll be okay today, Barry. And when we get to your place later, like you said, we can have all the fun we want."

  
"Okay," he acquiesced, kissing her gently and she melted into him and the kiss.

  
It took him a long while to remember that they were in a public place but if he was being honest, he didn't care too much.

  
"Mmm, Bar," Iris called, breaking off slowly from the kiss, "I think we have an audience."

  
The entire waiting room was filled with smiling faces and soft 'awws' from some people who just couldn't help themselves.

  
Barry chuckled softly, putting his arm around her and guiding her out the door. It was pretty safe to say that he gave absolutely no fucks on that front.

 

  
Barry felt shitty. Life was going okay for him, he'd had an amazing time last night with the woman of his dreams and they were officially (at least that was how it seemed) a couple or...a thing. It still didn't stop him from having this feeling, it was like an ominous feeling, a feeling that something wasn't quite right. Even being with Iris couldn't keep the feeling at bay, that probably meant it was serious.

  
There were two soft knocks on the lab door, "Allen?"

  
"Captain Singh," Barry answered respectfully, it was a breath of fresh air to hear the Captain call his name instead of shouting it like he usually did. It also made him think that something was up.

  
"Working hard or hardly working?"

  
"Um, the second one...sir," Barry said uneasily, this whole interaction was making him kind of nervous, "Some work that I've had to do for a while now, just trying to get it done."

  
"Back log," Singh pointed out, "I've got some things to work on myself, just, time, you know?"

  
"Captain, sir, forgive me for being forward but, is there something that you need?"

  
"Yes, there is," Singh sighed, entering the room now, "Detective West isn't here right now, truthfully, we don't know if he'll even be back and-"

  
"He'll be back," Barry interrupted, "Sooner than you know, he's strong, I know him."

  
"I know that you do, and I can only imagine how tough this must be for you, but we have to be open to all possibilities, including the one that Joe might not make it out of this, and if he does, he may even have to retire early."

  
Barry scoffed, he wasn't going to waste his breath and argue a lost cause.

  
"So what are you suggesting, Captain?"

  
"Allen, I want you to take on Joe's workload while he's...not here."

  
What the fuck?

  
"I'm sorry, sir, what?"

  
"I know, I know how it sounds."

  
"It sounds like you're trying to kill me. I'm not trying to complain or anything, but I've already got a ton to do and Joe's workload is, I mean, it's a lot. Adding to that, I'm a forensic scientist not a detective, wouldn't this task be better suited for Pat- Ms. Spivot...she is his partner after all, or maybe one of the other detectives?"

  
"Joe specifically asked for you to be put on this, Barry."

  
"I- he did? When? How...did he know that something was going to happen to him?"

  
"I'm not at all sure, a couple of days before he was attacked, he told me that if anything happened to him, he wanted you to be in charge of his work, everything."

  
Why would Joe make a request like that? It was strange, to say the least.

  
"But why?"

  
"He didn't say, but listen, Allen, I think Joe was working on something, something that he didn't want anyone knowing about. I tried to pry a few times but he wouldn't let me in on it, but for some reason, it seems he trusts you with it, why's that?"

  
"I can honestly say, I have no idea, sir."

  
And that was the truth.

  
"Hmm, well, as soon as you're ready, you can get to it. Don't worry about your work, I'll have someone fill your shoes while you're filling Joe's."

  
"Yes, sir," Barry said quietly; he was a little dumbfounded, a little more curious and a lot confused. As curious as he was, though, his curiosity could wait till tomorrow, all of this was just a bit much to process right now. All he wanted to do as go home and enjoy a relaxing evening with his beautiful girlfriend. The only problem was, relaxing wasn't a luxury he found himself able to afford these days.

 

  
This was the second time he found himself in this position, nervous as hell and waiting on Iris to get home. He'd offered to bring her home with him but she had to work late and insisted that he not bother himself, even though he begged her to.

  
He was seriously considering telling her that he was the Flash, not that he hadn't considered it before, but now he felt incredibly inclined to do so and had no idea why.

  
Maybe it was just everything that was going on, and the fact that he was feeling an impending sense of doom lately. The only reason he had to keep something like this from her was the fact that letting her in on the secret could endanger her life, but honestly, that ship had already sailed. With the ice killer on the loose and aware of his true identity already, there probably wasn't too much damage that could've been done that wasn't already done. Of course, after this whole crisis was over, she would still be open to other threats later down the road, but Barry had no doubt that they could face them together and he was sure she would think so too. Not to mention he could protect her better if he didn't have to worry about her finding out that he was the Flash every single time. Then other the other hand, she would probably be insanely mad at him for waiting this long to tell her. He didn't know what her reaction would be and that scared him like hell.

  
"You can do this, Barry, you can do this, you can do this..." he repeated to himself like a mantra as he paced the living room.

  
There was a knock at the door, actually several knocks at the door, he wondered what had her so impatient.

  
"Hi, Ir-"

  
"Oh, my god," she began, cutting him short as she blew through the door, "You would not believe the day I've had, you know, I think you were right, I should have just...stayed home today."

  
"Is everything okay?" He asked compassionately, removing her coat as she continued her tirade.

  
"No, actually, it isn't. You know, as if the day didn't already start out crappy enough with this creep basically stalking my sick father, I mean, what kind of sick, weirdo does that?"

  
"Apparently, this guy," Barry answered flatly, removing her shoes and putting her feet up on the coffee table as he sat beside her.

  
"It's just disgusting, and then, this morning when I go into work, guess what?"

  
"What?" Barry murmured distractedly.

  
"One of the other journalists that I work with actually had the audacity to try ask me if I wanted to switch my story, my story that I worked so hard on, by the way, with his stupid, puff piece article."

  
"Hmm."

  
"I know, it's- wait, are you listening to me, Barry?"

  
"Yeah, I'm-yeah, I hear you," he lied and of course, she realized, but decided to continue anyway.

  
"So, as I was saying, this jerk insisted that my article was way better than his, and that's another thing, how would he know that my article was good? How did he read it? I keep that article with me at all times...oh, that criminal. He said he wants to earn more points with the boss and that my article will help him do that, and then to top it off, guess what he says next?"

  
Barry shrugged cluelessly and she rolled her eyes in annoyance. He was being a horrible boyfriend right now but he couldn't concentrate, all that was going through his mind was how he was going to get his words out. If she asked him to repeat anything she'd just said he couldn't even begin to do it.

  
"He said that it doesn't matter kind of article I submit or how good it is because the editor is hot for me. Can you believe that?"

  
That last part actually caught his attention.

  
"Your editor has a thing for you?" He asked calmly, even though his blood was starting to boil already.

  
"So I've heard from more than one person, soon everyone's gonna accuse me of using my looks to get perks...by the way, did you say something to him? My editor?"

  
"Why would you think that?" He asked, frowning.

  
"I don't know, he just, seems different, I guess. He's breathing a lot less fire now, that's for sure. He even asked me to lunch today and said, and I quote, 'If you ever want to talk about everything that's going on with you, I'm here'."

  
What the actual fuck?

  
"Hmm," He said between pursed lips, he had to just contain himself right now.

  
"Don't worry, I told him I was taken and I didn't feel comfortable with the whole thing."

  
"Way to go," he said, smiling, "I'm impressed."

  
"What else was I gonna say? I only have eyes for you, Barry Allen."

  
Barry smiled widely till he thought he couldn't smile anymore, she knew just how to make him happy.

  
"So, anyway, it was just a lot to deal with today. I started getting a serious headache thinking about everything. I just can't help but think how complicated my life's gotten lately."

  
And it was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

  
"I don't know how you keep it together so much, I feel like I'm gonna explode, now I don't even have my dad to talk to. He was like my number one venting buddy, but now I have you...I'm not talking too much, right?"

  
"Hmm?" Barry answered, once again distracted.

  
"Oh, for god's sake," she murmured in annoyance.

  
Before he knew what was what, she was down on her knees on the floor, undoing his pants button and fly.

  
"Um, what are you...doing?" He asked in surprise, though he knew good well what she was doing.

  
"You're tense and distracted, Barry," she said matter-of-factly, gently pulling his already hard dick out of his pants and stroking it.

  
"But, you don't actually need to- oh...oh my...fuck," he ground out as she took him unexpectedly into her mouth.

  
Her mouth was warm and smooth and soft and he absolutely could not deal.

  
"What the fuck?" He breathed, "Holy..."  
He was literally only capable of uttering expletives at this point.

  
She was bobbing her head up and down on his dick so skillfully, if he could think right now he would probably wonder where she learned to do that.

  
She used her hand along with her mouth to stroke him up and down, her mouth following after her tiny hand. She took him deep into her mouth, letting out tiny moans of satisfaction with every movement. She was literally moaning around his dick and the feeling of it was creating a slight vibration that was driving him crazy.

  
"Shit...Iris..." He groaned loudly, nothing he said made any sense, truthfully he was just trying not to die right now.

  
He was thrusting gently into her mouth now, he was trying, really trying, to stay still, but it was go damn hard when she was doing...that. Then, like he wasn't already hard enough, she released him then used her tongue to lick a path straight from his base up to his shaft, all the while looking at him with those fucking doe eyes, it was almost his undoing.

  
"My god," he whispered, as she took him back into her mouth, his dick covered in her saliva. She looked so sweet with his cock in her mouth like that, looking at him with those innocent eyes...so, so sweet.

  
He was so gone right now, his head was thrown back on the couch, eyes squeezed tightly shut, breathing so heavy all the neighbors could probably hear, he really couldn't help it.  
He started thrusting harder into her mouth so that he could feel the back of her throat now and she purred around his cock, expressing her approval. The feeling almost made him come right there and then.

  
"God..." he ground out, reaching out slowly to grab, very gently, a handful of her hair, pushing her mouth to his cock as he thrusted.

  
He was unsure of her gag reflex and how much she could take so he was hesitant to make any movements, but he couldn't help himself and she seemed to be enjoying it.

  
"I need...I want to fuck your mouth," he panted, thrusting faster now, "That sweet mouth of yours..."

  
She gave as good as she got, bobbing her head even faster in time with his thrusts, she could more than keep up and it was damn impressive. Then, she put her lips tightly together and sucked, hard.

  
"Jesus!" He shouted, he didn't even care who heard, he was already so sensitive and the intense feeling was just basically making him go crazy.

  
She sucked, harder and harder still whilst bobbing back and forth on his dick and he just couldn't take any more.

  
"Shit, Iris...I can't take it," he gasped, trying to pull back from her mouth. His orgasm was inevitable, but if he orgasmed whilst she was doing whatever the hell she was doing, he might've just died.

  
He felt like his soul was being sucked out of his body and she wouldn't. let. go.

  
"Fuck, Iris, let...god!" He shouted between gritted teeth while she continued her actions, clearly unbothered. If anything, she sucked even harder. He was approaching his orgasm so fast he was worried about the state he would be in after it happened, he might not even be able to move.

  
"Shit, shit, shit..." he groaned loudly as she increased her pace, pushing him closer and closer and closer until he felt like he was beginning to see stars. He was sweating like crazy and he couldn't breath, this was going to totally put him through the ringer.

  
Then, out of nowhere, she took him deep into her mouth, so deep that he couldn't even tell where her mouth began and where his dick ended and she sucked hard, using her tongue to lick the underside and then he just lost it.

  
"Holy...fuck, holy shit," he grunted loudly as he began to convulse and spill into her mouth. He tried slightly to pull back because he felt like the life was being drained out of him but she wouldn't fucking stop. She kept on sucking him to the very end, till every drop of him went down her throat and he was pretty sure he was dead now.

  
After she was done, she casually licked her lips slowly and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, "Tropicana."

  
He wanted to ask her what she meant but he couldn't even talk for how hard he was breathing.

  
"Mmm?" He mumbled, that was all he could muster.

  
"You taste like Tropicana, the cocktail," she explained, sitting back down on the couch next to him, "It's delicious."

  
"Mmm," he mumbled again and she laughed at him this time.

  
"Forgot how to talk?"

  
"Mm-hmm."

  
"Do you feel better now?"

  
"I feel...nothing," he said tiredly, "My legs and most of my body is numb."

  
She looked at him and began to giggle, "You're silly."

  
He laughed weakly but he was actually so serious. He had never experienced anything like that in life, ever.

  
"I don't know about you, but I feel much better," she boasted, "How about I make us some popcorn and we de-stress whilst watching a nice movie?"

  
"Sounds great, what movie did you have in mind?"

  
"Mmm, 'The Devil Wears Prada' is my fave."

  
"Never seen it, what's it about?"

  
"It's a chick flick/fashion/rom-com."

  
"Oh, perfect," he said unenthusiastically.

  
"Shut up, you'll love it, I'll be right back."

  
Even though he almost just died, he still had it in his mind to tell her what he wanted to tell her, he just had to gear himself up for it. This would probably be as good a time as any, she was all satiated and happy, less of chance of her blowing up on him. He thought about it long and hard, and he had been thinking about it for a while now, he'd only just got the conviction to do it. It was a big decision, it would change both of their lives, but it was for the best.

  
"I'm back," she said in a sing-song voice, "I got soda too, I'm a gem, I know."

  
"That's great, this is great, I found the movie on Netflix and put it on," he said, putting his arms around her as she snuggled up to him.

  
"Good, I promise you'll love it," she said happily.

  
Great, how was he going to tell her now?  
He'd just have to take his time and ease into it, and he really did take his time.  
Forty five minutes into the movie and he hadn't said a word and Iris was still very much engrossed in the movie, her eyes were wide as saucers as she slowly ate her popcorn.

  
"Hey, Iris?"

  
"Yeah?" She answered distractedly, eyes never leaving the TV.

  
"I...I need to tell you something."

  
"Now? Can't it wait? My favorite part is coming up; Andrea finally gets a sense of style and just shits on the girl who was rotten to her, it's awesome."

  
"I-I guess..." he began and then sighed deeply, "No, it can't."

  
"Alright, shoot then, I'm listening," she assured him, although it looked like she really wasn't unless she was damn good at multitasking.

  
"Okay...Iris?" He said nervously, his voice was shaky like never before.

  
"Mmm?"

  
He took a deep breath, really deep, his heart was racing like crazy, he had to just say it, he had to just say it. Like ripping off a band-aid.

  
"Iris..." he said again in a stronger voice, taking a long pause, and then he just said it, "...I'm the Flash."

  
"Shh," she shushed him, eyes still glued to the TV, "I know, this is the best part, watch."

  
He stared at her in unbelief, she never looked at him, not once, but he could tell she was serious.

  
He didn't know what to say, so he just smiled...seriously, he had the dopiest smile on his face.

  
So, this was what happiness felt like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, babes  
> Here's a new one for you all, hope you enjoy! Minor smut near the end of the chapter.  
> xo


	15. Into the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A delighted Barry introduces Iris to Team Flash but later discovers a cryptic message that plagues his thoughts.

"Barry?" Iris called called quietly and he just barely heard it over the noise of his own thoughts.

  
They were wrapped around each other after a session of passionate lovemaking. There was nothing like the feeling of having her wrapped in his arms, it was the most satisfying feeling ever, like he couldn't describe.

  
"Hmm?" He hummed dreamily, "What's up?"

  
"Well, you're awful quiet."

  
"Hmm, I am? Sorry."

  
"You don't need to apologize, just...tell me what's on your mind?"

  
"You knew... this entire time you knew."

  
She scoffed softly, "I wouldn't be a very good journalist if I didn't, and I wouldn't say I knew the entire time."

  
"So how long?" He asked, turning on his side to face her, "And how?"

  
She sighed and licked her lips thoughtfully, "I think that a part of me always knew, not to the full extent but...in the end, it was something you said that gave it away."

  
"Something I said or something the Flash said?"

  
"You're the same person, Barry," she reminded him, smiling fondly, "The very first night that we met, you made a joke about me being a good girl, and I asked you how you could know that I was good because you didn't know me, and you said-"

  
"I could if you let me," he continued, finishing her sentence, he couldn't believe she'd remember that.

  
"Then you said the exact same thing to me as the Flash not long ago, it was too much of a coincidence."

  
"Wow," he remarked, impressed by her confession, "That's kind of incredible."  


  
She laughed quietly, "I think you're just easily impressed."

  
"I'm really not," he insisted, "You're just all sorts of amazing."

  
She blushed adorably and he just really couldn't get enough of her.

  
"Were you ever going to ask me, though?"

  
She shook her head 'no' and gave him a smile, "I figured, whenever you were ready, if you were ever ready, you'd tell me yourself."

  
He was instantly reminded of the gross differences between her and Patty, and he wasn't slamming her or anything but this was the exact reason that they could never have worked out, something as simple as trust. Maybe if she'd stopped working so hard to try and figure it out, he would've told her.

  
"It was hard keeping it from you, it really was," he lamented, "Eventually I just couldn't do it anymore."

  
"Well, I, for one, am glad you decided to tell me, I feel like there's a lightness between us now."

  
"Me too," he admitted, smiling widely, "I do have to ask you, though..."

  
"Yeah...?"

  
"Where-how did you learn to do that...thing you did last night?"

  
"You mean, where I sucked you off so good that you were seeing stars?" She asked sultrily, moving to straddle his waist.

  
"Y-yeah, that."

  
"Did you like that?" She asked teasingly, circling her hips tantalizingly.

  
"I-yeah, yeah, I loved it," he mumbled, gingerly placing his hands on her tiny waist.

  
"I loved it too," she whispered, running his hands over his chest slowly, "I loved those little desperate sounds you made, I loved your dick at the back of my throat, I loved your hands in my hair, but most of all, I loved the taste of you, warm and salty, going down my throat, I think I'm addicted to the way you taste."

  
Barry gulped audibly, his dick was hard and at complete attention behind her, he knew she could feel it.

  
She giggled and leaned forward to give him a kiss, "You are so cute when you turn into a nervous schoolboy, nice to know that I can still do that to you."

  
"I think you'll always be able to," he sighed heavily, releasing the breath he was holding.

  
"Hmm, so do you want me to fuck you or no?"

  
"I- um, yes?" He answered, confused as to if there was supposed to be some other answer he should give.

  
She chuckled softly, biting her lip, "It'd be my absolute pleasure, Barry Allen."

 

 

"I still wish you'd tell me where you're taking me," Iris grumbled.

  
They were driving in his car to some undisclosed location, it wasn't a surprise or anything he just wanted her mind to be open on the way there.

  
"We're almost there," Barry said rubbing his lips thoughtfully.

  
"Where is there? And tell me again why we couldn't just take the fast route?"

  
"Fast route?" He said in a different tone of voice, raising one eyebrow at her.

  
"Yeah, you know..." she said, winking playfully.

  
"After we went to your place this morning and you spent 20 minutes fixing your hair, I'd hate to undo all your hard work."

  
She pat her flowing hair and pouted and he smiled, speed travel had a downside.

  
"Thought you said we were almost there," she muttered petulantly.

  
"Iris, it's not even been a minute since I told you that."

  
She groaned exasperatedly, "I'm sorry, I'm just nervous, I have no idea where we're going and you won't tell me."

  
"Trust me, you don't need to be nervous, it's nothing huge, just something I have to show you."

  
"Fine, I'll have patience," she decided.

  
"Thank you, honey," he smiled sweetly and she gave him a mock smile to show that she wasn't at all amused.

  
"How do you make that look so sexy?" She asked after a little while.

  
"What?"

  
"Shifting the gears."

  
He chortled and gave her a look, "I don't know, I just...shift them?"

  
"Hmm, I think I just like your hands."

  
"So you have a fetish for my hands?"

  
"I have a fetish for every part of you," she corrected him, touching brushing a hand over his and then moving it down to grab his cock, "Especially this."

  
"You're gonna make me pull over and fuck you on the side of the road, be careful."

  
She moved her hand hesitantly and squeezed her legs together and Barry laughed.

  
"Guess what?" He asked.

  
"What?"

  
"We're here," he said, parking the car, they were the only car in the entire big parking lot, probably seemed a little strange.

  
"The old S.T.A.R. Labs facility?" She asked in confusion, stepping out of the car as Barry opened the door for her, "I don't understand, what're we doing here?"

  
"I'll show you," he says quietly, taking her hand in his and guiding her inside.

  
"Wow, I've never actually been inside here," she remarked, "It's a shame it closed down, seems like a perfectly good waste of space."

  
"Well, it didn't all go to waste," he added, carrying her deeper into the building.

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"Iris..." he breathed heavily as they turned a corner, "Meet Team Flash."

  
Cisco, Caitlin and H.R. immediately stopped what they were doing and stared, Iris stared too, and then everyone was just staring.

  
"O...kay..." Barry said, breaking the awkward silence, "Um, you guys, I think you all know my girlfriend, Iris West."

  
"Wait, wait," Cisco said immediately and Barry knew right then and there that he was going to get embarrassed, "Did we miss something, ‘girlfriend’?”

  
"Yeah, she-we made it official."

  
The room was immediately filled with loud 'ooos' by Cisco and H.R. and Caitlin and Iris just kind of stood there looking like they felt sorry for him.

  
"Okay," Barry announced loudly over all the noise, "That's enough fun for now, you guys might know her but she doesn't know you, introductions are in order."

  
"Do you know that Barry used to stalk you before you guys started talking?" Cisco blurted out, "It's true."

  
"Okay, enough," Barry said exasperatedly while Iris giggled uncontrollably, "Iris, this loudmouth is-"

  
"Cisco Ramon, at your service," he purred, rolling the 'r' excessively and Barry smacked his face in annoyance, "Since you apparently know all about our operations here, I should also mention that I'm the technician here at Team Flash, anything techy you need, in your man, I also designed Barry's Flash suit and I am his best friend."

  
"Not right now, you're not," Barry said from in the corner and Iris laughed cheerfully, she probably wasn't expecting them to be this...playful.

  
"Well, it is lovely to meet you, Cisco," Iris said honestly.

  
"Likewise, you'll get used to me."  
"Already have," she said, grinning as Barry moved her along to meet H.R.

  
"That enough of that," Barry grumbled softly.

  
"He's so much fun," Iris beamed, "Are you guys really best friends?"

  
"No," Barry said flatly while Cisco shouted 'yes'.

  
"And who's this?" She inquired with a strange look on her face.

  
"This is H.R," Barry said plainly, studying her expression.

  
"I'm kinda like the new kid on the block," H.R joked, "I'm mostly here for moral support."

  
"Well, you have the most important job," she remarked politely and he smiled that brilliant H.R smile, "I have to say, though, you somehow look so familiar."

  
"I-I've just got one of those faces, I think," he said nervously, "I just look like everyone you meet, trust me, you've never seen me before."

  
"You're probably right," she agreed, not taking it any further, "It was great to meet you, though."

  
"And you, Ms. West," he crooned, taking her hand in his and placing a light kiss to it causing Barry to repeatedly roll his eyes, "And might I mention, if ever things don't work out between you and Barry I'm here all-"

  
"Alright, enough," Barry ordered, moving Iris right along to the last person, "And last but not least, this is-"

  
Before he could finish his sentence, Iris escaped from his grip and immediately ran up to hug Caitlin who was totally caught off guard.

  
"Caitlin," she said, finishing his sentence, "I never did get a chance to thank you, for saving my dad."

  
"You're welcome," she said slowly, hugging her back now, "I was happy to help."

  
"I owe you forever," she said seriously, "All of you, I've never really met you all but I feel like there's so much I already owe all of you. Barry may be the one out there saving the world every other day but you guys...you guys are behind it all, you guys are all heroes, and I'm really grateful that Barry trusts me enough to let me be a part of this."

  
"Hey, as far as I'm concerned, you're already part of the team," Cisco said, "And I haven't even known you for five minutes, any girlfriend of Barry's is a girlfriend of mine."

  
Iris grinned widely and Caitlin and H.R both nodded their agreement, that went way better than he expected. He expected it to go good but, that went great. 

  
"Well, that went well," Barry said in relief and everyone laughed loudly.

  
"You didn't expect it to?" Caitlin asked.

  
"No, I did, it's just, it's always just been us three..."

  
"Well, now it's us four," Cisco assured him, "And I, for one, am all for this; we should have like a case of wine or something to celebrate."

  
"I have coffee!" H.R answered entirely too enthusiastically.

  
"Ew, no way," Cisco replied in disgust, "Why would you even suggest that?"

  
"You should get used to that, 'cause it happens almost everyday," Barry said and Iris shrugged indifferently.

  
"Barry?" Caitlin called in a small voice, "Can I borrow you for a minute?"

  
"Um," he stammered and like the little puppy dog he was, he looked at Iris who only gave him a look that said 'duh' and shooed him away.

  
"What's up, Cait?"

  
"Well, there's something that I've been thinking about and I want to run it by you before anyone else, I haven't even told Cisco about it."

  
"Does this have to do with the Ice Killer?"  
She nodded slightly and Barry could tell that whatever it was, it had her uncomfortable.

  
"Okay...of course, you can tell me."

  
"Okay, well...I think that I know a way to find out who-"

  
"Barry!" Iris shouted in panic from the other side of the room.

  
"Iris?!" He answered immediately, "What's wrong?"

  
"It's my dad...something's happened."

  
"Cait, I'm really sorry, I have to go," he said in a hurry, "I promise we'll talk about this later-"

  
"It's okay, Barry, this is important...keep up updated, okay,?"

  
Barry nodded hastily as Iris rushed before him into the hallway.

  
"God, Barry, what if he..."

  
"Don't even think that, Ire," he ordered, "He is going to be okay, I promise you...do you believe me?"

  
She nodded hesitantly, and even though she did so with confidence, a single tear dropped from her eye, he knew she would’ve held it in if she could.

  
"Hey, come here," he murmured, kissing her forehead as he pulled her into a gentle embrace, "It's going to be okay...I need you to relax, okay? Are you relaxed?"

  
She sniffed loudly and made a failed attempt at pulling herself together, but it would work for the while.

  
"Yeah, I'm...I'm good."

  
"Are you sure you're relaxed?"  
She shot him a strange look and her eyes immediately widened as she realized his intention.

  
"No, Barry, wait...I'm not read-"

  
Too late. In the blink of an eye they were at the hospital and Iris looked like she was about to throw up all over him.

  
"Are you okay?" He asked, clearly she wasn't, she had him in a vice grip that he probably couldn't get out of if he tried.

  
"I feel like I left my entire stomach back over at S.T.A.R Labs but yeah, other than that, I'm great."

  
"Sorry, I just thought this would be the fastest way, circumstances considered."

  
"It's okay, this is good; the sooner we can see my dad, the better,” she said, unsteadily making her way to the hospital room, Barry guiding her in case she fainted.

  
“Miss West,” the doctor greeted her immediately, seeming somewhat surprised, “You got here rather quickly.”

  
“I came as quick as I could,” she said simply, “How is he?”

  
“Well, I didn’t want to tell you over the phone but, he’s had a seizure.”

  
"Is that bad? I mean, I know it’s bad but, is it really bad?”

  
"It's...not good, considering his condition, it's a major setback, it may be a sign that his condition is worsening...at this point, we have up prepare for anything."

  
Iris nodded her understanding but he could see the exact moment her spirit broke. It was all too much, she shouldn't have to go through something like this, he wanted nothing more than to take away all the pain and sadness she was feeling but even with his powers, there was nothing he could do to help her. He could count on his fingers the amount of times that he actually felt helpless in his life, and this was one. She quickly left the room, Barry following close behind her.

  
"I don't think I can do this, Barry," she said tearfully, "I don't know how much more I can take, haven't I been through enough already?"

  
"Don't, don't let him win...you're one of the strongest people I know, you can do it...coming from someone who's lost both his parents, I can tell you that that won't be your fate."

  
"I'm sorry, Barry...I'm here moping about my dad being sick and both your parents are gone, that was inconsiderate of me."

  
"No, not at all," he assured her, "Besides, your dad is basically like my father anyway so..."

  
She chuckled softly, "Is it ever weird for you? The two of us?"

  
He sighed thoughtfully, but answered truthfully, "No, in fact, it feels just like fate."

  
She gave him a bright smile and rose up on her toes to hug him. He loved her hugs, even though he was the one that was supposed to be comforting her, it felt like the other way around.

  
"Now, are you going to be okay today? To go to work, I mean."

  
"Yeah," she said confidently, wiping her face, "I think I'll be fine."

  
"Good," he said quietly, "Want me to drop you off to work, speedster style?"  
"Well, since you left the car over at S.T.A.R Labs, I'm not seeing where we have any other choice...just, warn me this time, okay, hotshot?"

  
He smiled sheepishly and agreed, little did she know he did it on purpose.

 

 

  
Barry had a shit ton of reports to write up. Ever since he had the lovely task of taking over Joe's responsibilities, shit had just started going haywire. Even though he felt like it was just becoming too much for him, he was never the type to complain, more suffer in silence. He would be lying if he said that recent events hadn't been messing with his head some, though. Recently, he'd found that his hands had been shaking uncontrollably, at first he thought maybe it was just a side effect of his speed but they were actually shaking. He was stressed, plain and simple.

  
He stopped writing, he couldn't continue if he wanted to, his hands wouldn't allow him. He took several deep breaths and tried to calm himself but he just kept thinking about everything, he couldn't stop thinking. The thoughts were racing, literally racing through his mind, one of the disadvantages of being a speedster.  
When he couldn't take it any more, he just gave into instinct. He overthrew the desk with all the files and the reports and everything that he knew he'd have to fucking clean up later, but right now, he just needed a release. He was crying, it wasn't something he could let Iris see, especially since she needed him now more than ever, he had to be strong for her. For Iris.

  
He composed himself quickly, after all, someone must have heard that loud crash. Before he could begin fixing up, he saw something on the floor, something he hadn't seen before, it must have been inside one of Joe's books. Whatever it was, he definitely wasn't looking for anyone to find it, except maybe him. When he picked it up and examined it, it was a CD hidden inside a black box marked ' _For You'_.

  
"What is this?" He murmured to himself.  
He put the CD into his computer

immediately, scanning the area to make sure that no one was nearby, who knew what was on this CD?

  
As soon as the CD turned on, he saw Joe sitting in a chair with a blank background, he looked extremely uncomfortable...and scared.

  
Barry looked on intently, both eager and a bit scared to hear what he had to say.  
Joe sighed deeply and looked down at the floor.

  
" _Hey, Barry_ ," he said warily and Barry's eyebrow raised attentively, " _I don't...I don't really know where to start so I'm just gonna start, if you're watching this, I'm probably dead._ "

  
"What?" Barry said softly.

  
" _I've made some mistakes in my life, Barry, but I never imagined that they would come back to haunt me like this...not like this. I would say that I regret it but I don't...and if I had a chance to do it all over again, I would do it every time. I had to protect her...my baby girl, I know you'll understand, Barry, everything. I can't risk saying it out loud, if this video ever fell into the wrong hands, it could be a disaster...but I know you'll figure it out, and I know you'll find a way to end this and maybe in time, you'll forgive me...you and Iris both._ "

  
That was the end of the video. Barry was hella confused. Nothing that he just heard made any sense to him, but he had to figure it out, he had to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

 

 

  
"Honey, I'm home!" Iris yelled.

  
Barry was so distracted that he didn't even hear her, he was in the kitchen absentmindedly washing done dishes.

  
"Honey," she called again, wrapping her hands around his waist from behind.

  
"Hmm? Oh, hey...did you say something?"

  
"I said I'm home...what's got you all distracted?"

  
"Oh, um, I'll tell you about it later," he said as normally a could, giving her a chaste kiss on the lips, "How was your day?"

  
"It was...eventful."

  
"Okay...are you gonna elaborate?"

  
"Hold on, I'm getting to that."

  
"Sorry, ma'am," he said playfully, "Go ahead."

  
"So, you know how we've been having trouble following the Ice Killer's tracks and figuring out what he's up to and how he's always like 20 steps ahead of us?"

  
"I am...aware of it, yes."

  
"I think I've found a way to get us ahead for once."

  
He put down the teacup he was washing and gave her his full attention.

Admittedly, he was curious about the plan but even more curious as to how she would fit into it. If he knew her at all, this would be dangerous.

  
"Iris, am I going to like this?"

  
"I...no, probably not," she confessed softly.

  
He sighed warily and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index fingers; this girl would be the end of him.

  
"So what is this master plan that you've concocted? Let me hear it."

  
"Okay," she began excitedly, "So-"  
"Wait, let me sit down first."

  
"Right," she agreed, giving her best smile; she was obviously trying to be cute and she absolutely was.

  
He made a gesture with his hands that said 'lay it on me' and she hesitantly proceeded.

  
“So, for weeks now, Scott’s been-“

  
“Sorry, hold on...Scott?”

  
“Yeah, my editor.”

  
“I know who he is, since when are you on a first name basis with him?”

  
“Dear god, Barry,” she groaned in annoyance, “How hard do I have to suck your cock before you get through your head that you are the only one I will ever want? Scott is no one. He means nothing. If you’d prefer I call him my editor, I will.”

  
“Okay,” he replied timidly, eyes wide in surprise, “Sorry, continue.”

  
“Good, so, for a while now my editor’s been acting all strange and secretive. No one else seems to care about it but I knew he was hiding something, something big. I found out that he’s been sitting on some information about a certain mobster that might have important information on the Ice Killer. He runs a club downtown in the heart of the city, his name is Clive Bardem. I don’t know if the cops are gonna end up making a move on him, but if we get to him before, it could put us at a real advantage.”

  
"How did you happen to come across this information?"

  
"The ugly truth or a pretty little lie?"

  
"The truth, please."

  
"I broke into my boss' office and went through a folder on his desk marked 'confidential'."

  
He looked at her indifferently while she grinned nervously at him.

  
"That is very...you.”

  
“Is it bad that you’re no longer surprised when I do these types of things?”

  
“You’re nothing if not determined,” he said flatly, deflecting from the actual question, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  
“Not entirely, no,” she admitted, dropping on the couch next to him, “But we have a chance to finally get ahead in this game, don’t you want to take it? Say yes?”

  
Barry exhaled deeply and stared at her thoughtfully, “We do this, I’m with you at all times and if i see anything I don’t like, I _will_ do something about it.”

  
“Those are your conditions?”

  
“The ones I can think of right now, yes.”

  
“Deal,” she said gleefully, “So, Barry Allen, are you ready to go undercover?”

  
“I sort of feel like this is going to be on my list of things I’m going to regret later on in life, but, I guess so.”

  
Actually, he might regret it far sooner than that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo sorry, babes, for this long break.  
> I was really busy these last few days and also was traveling for a few weeks, here’s one for you guys.  
> Enjoy! xo


	16. These Games We Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Iris go undercover to try to get some information about the Ice Killer but naturally, it’s never that easy.

“Iris, you ready yet?” Barry called from outside his bedroom door.

  
“ _Almost, babe_!” She yelled.

  
“Okay, you said that like ten minutes ago when I asked you though.”

  
“ _I promise, I’m really almost done this time._ ”

  
All that time getting dressed was making him worried, although, technically, the longer she took to get ready meant that she was putting a lot of clothes, right?  
He could only hope.

  
Tonight was the night they were supposed to go ‘undercover’, whatever that meant, and she had bought new clothes for the occasion and everything, although she refused to let him see.  
He, on the other hand, wasn’t about to go to that much trouble. He wore an all black three piece suit, very casual, when she got done no one would probably even see him anyway.

  
Finally, the bedroom door opened and he stood waiting expectantly.

  
“ _Um...don’t freak out, okay_?” She said quietly from behind the door.

  
“Iris, you asking me not to freak out is making me freak out even more, just...let me see you.”

  
“ _Okay...just don’t freak out okay_?”

  
“Iris!”

  
She quickly emerged from behind the door and WOW.

  
She was wearing a red, spaghetti strap, very low cut, lacy crop top that you could basically see right through and a short, tight black leather skirt that hugged her just a little too much. Her shoes were strappy, black and the heel was insanely high (though she still wasn't even near his height) and her hair was straightened, falling in front of her face and down her back. She also wore a dark red shade of lipstick, lots of eyeliner and some other cosmetic things he didn't know the name of.

  
He was pretty sure his mouth was wide open, not that he could close it if he tried.

  
“You’ll catch flies, you know,” she deadpanned.

  
"Wow...you look..."

  
"Like a ho?" she asked.

  
"What? No! I- no..."

  
"Aw, too bad, that's the look I was going for."

  
"You want to look like a ho?" He asked, confused as ever.

  
"It's good for business," she stated simply, "Looking like this is going to get me the information I need."

  
"Why can't I just go in there and punch the information out of this guy? It'll have the same effect."

  
“We can’t do that, Barry, we have to be smart about this. If we just go in there guns blazing it’ll cause a scene, one that could cause repercussions for everyone.”

  
“I know,” he sighed quietly, “I know that, I just...”

  
“What? You don’t think my outfit looks nice?” She asked, giving a pout that looked more sexual than innocent.

  
"Yeah, but I think it would look even nicer on the floor, in my bedroom, not for everyone to see.”

  
"I see that look in your eyes, Barry," she warned him.

  
"What look?"

  
"Jealousy. We haven't even gone anywhere yet."

  
He sighed forcefully, bringing his hands to caress her bare shoulders, "It's hard not to be when you're looking so damn tempting; if this is what I see, imagine what everyone else is gonna see."

  
"Barry, look, when we get there tonight, there are going to be men there; they're gonna whistle at me, they're gonna say rude things to me, they're probably even going to touch me, then you're going to want to hit them, hard. I'm going to need you not to do that."

  
"I can't make that promise, Iris," he said immediately, "I can't, I won't lie to you."

  
“You promised you’d be co-operative, babe.”

  
“That was before I saw you looking like a-a goddamn porn star!”

  
"Barry..."

  
"I don't want another man's hands on you-"

  
"Bar-ry," she enunciated, getting his attention now, "Work with me, please. You're out there everyday saving lives, being the hero, being the Flash, it's just what you do, well, this is something that I can do...let me do it, please."

  
"Okay," he agreed hesitantly.

  
"Okay...so let's try this again, promise me you're gonna behave tonight."

  
"I promise," he said unconvincingly.

  
"Okay, now say that again but move your lips this time."

  
"Iris-"

  
"Barry."

  
"Fine," he muttered, "I'll behave, but if I get to the point where I can't take it anymore, I'm gonna claw someone's eyes out."

  
"Well, I guess you best sharpen your nails, then..."

 

 

  
They were in the heart of Central City, the part of the city that never slept and the longer he was there the more Barry started to wonder what the hell they were really doing.

  
“Iris, what are we doing here?” He groaned frustratedly as they made their way to the club.

  
“What do you mean what’re we doing here?” She questioned harshly, “We talked about this.”

  
“I know what we’re literally doing here but I mean, why don’t we just leave this up to the police? I’m sure they can handle it.”

  
“Since when have the police ever handled anything? And who are you and what have you done with my rebel boyfriend? You know the cops can’t handle this, so stop being a baby and come on.”

  
He crossed his arms petulantly and hesitantly walked alongside her though he didn’t like it one bit.

  
They walked in silence for a while, Barry putting his jacket over her shoulders when she got cold, which she graciously accepted.

  
"Barry," she said, catching him by the arm before they got to the door where the bouncer was standing, "No matter what I say or do in there, remember that I'm doing it because I have to, you're the only one I'll ever want."

  
He nodded warily and followed closely behind her.

  
"Heard this place was free admission for ladies," she said provocatively.

  
"You heard right, sweetheart," he said, smirking like a pervert, "You head right in, have yourself a good time...and when you're ready to leave, I'll be here all night."

  
Barry scoffed softly, he couldn't believe how thirsty this guy already was, he was shamelessly checking her out from head to toe.

  
"Thanks, hun," she said, giving him a little wink, "If I get drunk enough, I might just take you up on that."

  
The man chuckled gruffly, licking his lips hungrily as he watched her walk inside. He had to go in with her, but there was a pretty good chance this asshole was going to block him. He saw Iris turn her head subtly to the side, probably signaling him to try to follow her. She was probably hoping that the man would be so enthralled by her that he wouldn't notice him.

  
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" The man growled, halting him with one hand.

  
"Where does it look like I'm going?" He answered roughly, pushing the man's hand away, "You gonna let me through?"

  
"Hang on now, boys," Iris chimed in, holding a tiny hand against both him and the bouncer, "Let's not talk with our fists."

  
"You know this cocksucker?" The man asked and Barry was about ready to knock him the fuck out.

  
"He's with me, he's my bodyguard," she explained calmly.

  
"Your bodyguard?" The man asked in confusion.

  
"That's right...everywhere I go, he goes, that includes in this club. I feel safer with him around, so if you're gonna let me in here and not him, then I guess I best be on my way."

  
The man exchanged looks between him and Iris, she seemed pretty confident in herself.

  
"Hmm," the man said after a long while, "I suppose that's fair, any girl that looks like you really should have a bodyguard at all times."

  
"I knew you'd understand, babe," she crooned, smacking his face lightly, "Come on, Barry."

  
He followed her without hesitating this time and this time the bouncer caught him by the shoulder.

  
"Hey, you are one lucky man, working with a babe like that, I bet you probably hit that that hot little ass all the time, huh?"

  
Barry said nothing, his nostrils were flared and he was just trying to hold himself back, he promised Iris.

  
"I have to go," he said dismissively, but the man held him back still.

  
"Man, I'm not mad at you, mixing work with pleasure, hell, if I had the chance to tap that I'd fuck her so hard-“

  
"You watch your fucking mouth," he said menacingly, grabbing the man by his shirt roughly. It wasn't so much how he had grabbed him but more the look in his eyes, he was feral, ready to kill.

  
"Okay, alright," the man said, raising his hands in surrender, "Sorry, man."

  
"Not yet," he growled under his breath as he entered the building.

  
He looked for Iris immediately, no sign of her, she couldn't have gotten far. There were weirdos all over the place; neon lights were flashing like crazy and the music was deafeningly loud. A hip hop song that he couldn't quite recognize was playing and the whole room was full of people dancing and gyrating on each other, it was kind of gross, actually, like a giant orgy.

  
"Hey," Iris shouted, grabbing his hand in hers, "I looked behind me and you weren't there...is everything okay?"

  
"Yeah, fine, I was just having a little...talk with the bouncer."

  
She dropped her arms limply and gave him a look, "Did you hit him?"

  
"No, I'm being a good boy, doing what you told me."

  
"Okay," she said, relieved, "Now, let's see if we can't find this guy and get out of here fast.”

  
"Do you know what he looks like?"

  
"No, but I think I'll know him when I see him...want to get a drink in the meantime?"

  
"Are you really sure you should be drinking again after what happened last time?"

  
"I'm never gonna live that down, am I?" She groaned, "Just one drink, and this time I'll have you to make sure I don't overdo it."

  
He sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes warily, "Okay, one drink."

  
She clapped in glee and pulled him across the room towards the bar.

  
They made their way through many sweaty, sticky bodies as they ignored indistinct whistles and comments from random guys. As he trailed closely behind her, even though it was just a cover, he really did feel like he was her bodyguard.

  
Just before they got to the bar, Iris gasped loudly, “Hey! Someone just smacked my ass.”

  
“Sorry,” he apologized with a smirk, “That was me.”

  
“Perv,” she said laughingly and he joined in.

  
“Your perv,” he corrected her and she glanced over her shoulder and gave him an adoring look.

  
"Whew, made it!" She shouted as she took a seat at the counter, "What do you want?"

  
"Water," he said plainly, “Look at that guy sitting over there in the corner, could that be him?"

  
He drew her attention to dark-skinned man dressed in all black sitting in the VIP section. He was surrounded by girls in skimpy dresses who looked like they'd do just about anything for a quick buck. Safe to assume that was their guy, nobody else looked nearly as important.

  
"Good eye," she said proudly, finishing downing her drink quickly as Barry sipped his water, "We need to get his attention, well, I do."

  
"Just go in the middle of the dance floor and stand there, that should do it."

  
"If only it were that easy," she said ruefully, pulling him out onto the floor, "I have a way, I doubt if you'll like it very much, though."

  
She stood facing him and pulled his body flush against hers as she locked both her arms around his neck.

  
"As long as you don't go work the pole, I'm fine."

  
“Trust me, I don’t need a pole.”

  
A smooth, slow song came on on the speaker system and Barry groaned inwardly realizing exactly what her intentions were. There was no way this could end well for him.

  
“Iris, this is-“

  
“Shh,” she whispered, pressing her lips to his and bringing his arms around her waist, “Just follow me.”

  
And follow her he did, or at least he tried to. She was doing all sorts of movements he didn’t even know were physically possible. He wasn’t even going to ask where she learned to dance like this, he didn’t actually think he wanted to know the answer. One thing was for sure, he was the envy of every single guy in the club right now and he knew it.

  
“Having fun?” She asked mischievously, her hands around his neck and her back against his front as she continued her movements.

  
“Hardly,” he growled, squeezing her hips roughly, “Iris, I am so hard that I literally cannot move, why do you think I’m just standing here all awkward while you do...whatever it is you’re doing right now?”

  
“I feel you,” she said casually.

  
Her hips were swiveling so smoothly and fluent, it was amazing. Then she turned back around so that she was facing him and pressed herself flush against his body, and she just went all the way down, caressing his whole front with her hands, including _there_ , and yeah, he was done for.

  
“Jesus,” he breathed as she came back up slowly.

  
“Whew, I think I’m actually building up a little sweat,” she said finally, “You okay?”

  
“Are you really telling me that was all to get that asshole’s attention?”

  
“Most of it,” she whispered, giving his earlobe a light bite.

  
“You are such a cocktease,” he said, although he couldn’t help but smirk, the girl was damn impressive.

  
“Look,” she gestured with her head towards Clive, who was making his way over to them, “He’s coming over here. Should I stay here? Maybe I should go up to him and just walk past all seductive-like...I think I’ll do that-“

  
“Don’t you dare move, Iris!” He ordered so quickly that it all sounded like one word, “You are not going to leave me in the middle of this dance floor with a hard on that _you_ gave me! Just...stay in front of me wait until he comes over here.”

  
“Okay...jeez, keep your trousers on.”

  
"Hey, beautiful," a man called from behind them both, “Saw you doing your thing down here and I couldn't help but notice you."

  
"So I realize," she replied sultrily, "So do you like what you saw?"

  
"I did, very much...that's actually why I came over here, I think I wanna take you somewhere a little more...private."

  
Barry let out an low but audible growl and he didn't even mean to, it just kinda came out, like reflex.

  
The man looked at him and smiled cockily, "And who's this fine gentleman here?"

  
"He's-"

  
"I'm her bodyguard," he said gruffly, placing a protective hand around her waist, "I protect her from any and everything that I deem a threat, and I gotta say, right now my radar is going off a bit."

  
"Down, boy," she said under breath, trying to remind him to keep his cool.

  
The man laughed condescendingly and it pissed him off even more, "So what you're really saying is, if I wanna get to her, I gotta through you first, is that right?"

  
"That's exactly right."

  
"He's very protective of me," Iris chimed in, "And I'm sorry but we're kind of a package deal, anywhere I go, he goes, I really must insist."

  
The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully, pondering the situation carefully, "Alright, I can respect that, let's go on then."

  
As he walked along behind Iris and that wannabe asshole he almost went berserk when he grabbed Iris by the waist and brought her close to him, then to top it off, he dropped his hand down past her waist to touch and squeeze her ass.  
At that point, he was thinking 'fuck this', it wasn't worth it at all.

  
They entered a room where Clive made his way over to a chair while he held onto Iris hand protectively near the door.

  
"So, what brings a lovely lady like you by my club tonight?" The man asked, beckoning Iris to sit on his lap, "Just looking for a good time?"

  
She chuckled softly as she made her way over to him; she really knew how to be sexy, her walk, her mannerism, it was like she was someone else completely.

  
"Honey, if all I was after was a good time, trust me, I would've gone somewhere else."

  
"Really now?" The man asked, caressing her legs as she sat on his lap and put her hand around his neck, "So I got lucky then, you could have been anywhere else in Central City, yet I have you here on my lap, with your sweet little ass."

  
"Hmm, lucky you," she purred, smiling, "I need information."

  
"And you'll have it," the man whispered, trailing his hands up her leg so that it was almost under her skirt and then he moved in to kiss her and she subtly dodged him.

  
Barry had seen enough, and that last part definitely triggered him off.

  
"Hey," he called gruffly, drawing both Iris' and the man's attention to him, "How about you give us the damn information now and we be on our way, huh?"

  
That was but part of the plan, and he knew Iris might be mad at him but he couldn't watch this.

  
"Is it me you're talking to, brother?" Clive asked, his whole demeanor changed completely as he slid Iris off his lap and walked towards Barry, "I highly doubt that. See I was under the impression that you understood your place, but now I think I should have my men haul your ass outta here, let you sit outside with the garbage where you belong."

  
"He stays," Iris ordered, and both Clive and Barry looked at her in surprise, "...He stays, or I take my sweet little ass and I walk."

  
Clive looked at Iris like a damn national treasure. How is it that she could just do and say anything and he fawned over her anyway? In any event, lucky for him.

  
"Alright, alright," he said, surrendering, "I respect a woman who knows what she's about, so...what does the lady want to know?"

  
"Tell me about the Ice Killer,” she stated firmly.

  
Clive sat back in his chair, stroking his chin suspiciously, "That's some deep shit you wanna get into. Tell me, why's a pretty girl like you wanna get involved in something so ugly?"

  
"I'm already involved in it, and as for my reasons, you have your secrets, I have mines."

  
"Hmm...I can't get into deep details; he moves a lot and he moves quick, never in any one place for long, and he's clean, very clean, that's why the police could never catch him. Like a ghost. He operates in a safe house near the coast, last I heard, not sure which one, never been there either. Rumor has it, he’s a Iron Heights escapee, went in for some attempt at a petty crime. Another rumor has it, someone pretty close to the top the chain negotiated for his release. I’ve met him a few times, but as you can tell, he likes his privacy.”

  
“So you know who he is?” She asked in surprise.

  
Clive sat back on his chair with a twisted smile on his face, like he was debating something totally sick in his head.

  
“Yeah, I know who he is.”

  
Iris’ eyes widened but Barry already knew exactly where this was going, and he’d be damned if he’d let that happen.

  
“Who?” Iris asked quietly.

  
Clive gave no answer.

  
“Give me a name,” she said a bit too desperately, and Barry knew guys like Clive literally fed off of that, “Give me anything.”

  
“That’s privileged information, doll, I’m sure you understand, it’s gonna cost you a little...more.”

  
“All right, you son of a bitch, I’ve heard enough,” Barry growled loudly, “You’ve been just begging to get your ass kicked all night. You’re not gonna touch her, trust me, I have an easier way of getting that information out of you.”

  
“Barry, don’t. Don’t even waste your energy,” Iris advised, making her way towards the door, “This creep doesn’t have anything more for us.”

  
“Hold on, now, you don’t just get to walk out on me, sweetheart,” Clive said sternly, his entire countenance was different now, he was definitely angry, but neither of them gave a fuck.

  
“Watch me, asshole,” she said cockily, and she could afford to be since he was her muscle, she knew he’d never let anything happen to her.

  
“Oh, and Clive?" She added as she sauntered out the door, "My bodyguard here? I'm fucking him."

  
Barry's left quickly behind Iris as she exited the room and the club. Hopefully that was all the surprises for the night, it was certainly all he could handle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, because I felt so bad about taking soooo long to update my last chapter, here’s another for you guys right quick :)  
> xo


	17. Reminders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Iris return return from the club and things happen lol.  
> Also, important conversations/confessions occur.  
> (This chapter has some content at the beginning, it’ll be a bit explicit.)

“So, that was kind of a bust,” she said, removing her shoes, “Sorry I put you through that, but hey, at least we got some information out of it, right?”

  
Barry said nothing, he just looked at her, really looked at her. He had been looking at her all night, so had every other guy out there and that made his blood boil like nothing else.

  
“You’re not mad, are you, Bar?” She asked quietly, wringing her hair nervously, “You haven’t said a word the entire way back home.”

  
He sighed deeply and looked her up and down, still not answering.

  
“If this is about what happened with Clive, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to go that far. Trust me, I didn’t enjoy having that creep’s hands all over me any more than you enjoyed watching it.”

  
He took a step towards her, causing her to take one back. He wasn’t menacing, as such, just intense. He still said nothing but his top lip gave an involuntary twitch at the mention of Clive’s name.

  
“Okay, please say something,” she pleaded softly, continuing to step back as he continued towards her until she was backed against a wall, “Barry, you’re starting to scare me a little now.”

  
He remained silent but placed a gentle hand on her cheek making her visibly relax. She leaned into his touch and sighed contentedly as he caressed her face.

  
“Your hands on me always make me feel better,” she moaned softly and his hand travelled down her body, lower, lower, lower till it was lodged between her legs, pressed against her very core.

  
She gasped lightly as she leaned her head back against the wall and covered his own hand with hers, grinding down on it.

  
He restrained her hand immediately, the two of them in his own and held them above her head in a vice grip he was sure she couldn’t get out of.

  
“Don’t,” he growled roughly and he could see that the tone of his voice startled her, “Don’t, and don’t move either; tonight, you’ll take what I give you, nothing more, understand?”

  
She nodded hesitantly as he continued stroking her slowly, but he wasn’t as gentle as he usually was, there was something else, something urgent in his movements, his whole demeanor, something was different, something changed.

  
Iris leaned her head back against the wall once more, breathing heavily as she tried her utmost best not to move. She was moving a little but he let it pass, at least she was trying.

  
He was looking at her the whole time, intensity burning in his eyes as he watched the pleasure on her face, he got a sick satisfaction from knowing that he was the one giving it to her and no one else, that was what this was really about.

  
“Barry...” she said in a tiny voice, her hooded eyes opened slightly now. She said nothing more but her eyes pleaded with him for something, for permission.  
His jaw stiffened as he unwaveringly gazed into her eyes and simply said ‘no’.

  
He thrusted three fingers into her soaking core, all the while still fingering her clit with his thumb, she almost let out a scream then but she stopped herself.

  
It was torture, he couldn’t imagine, but he wanted to torture her, he wanted her to feel what only he could give her, only he could do to her. He knew just the right speed to go and pressure to apply to give her unimaginable pleasure but not enough to make her come.

  
She wriggled against his hand and whimpered softly as her tiny arms struggled against his to grasp something, anything, for some kind of relief but he gave her nothing.

  
“Don’t. Move.”

  
He increased his pace, pumping the three fingers that were inside her rougher, faster and doing the same with his thumb against her clit.

  
He watched her somewhat keep her composure for as long as he tortured her until she couldn’t take any more.

  
“...God, Barry, please!” She pleaded, “I can’t take any more...”

  
“No?” He asked simply.

  
“Please...I’m sorry...”

  
He tilted his head and gave her a slight smile but he didn’t let her go, he didn’t let up either. Instead he used his speed to vibrate his fingers inside her making her scream loudly. After that it took no time at all before she was convulsing and coming all over his fingers. She came so hard that her legs gave out and Barry used the hand that restrained hers to hold her up, his other hand still inside her.

  
“See what I can do to you?” He whispered to her while she tried to regain her breath, “Only I get to do this to you, only I get to see you like this.”

  
She tried to say something but she couldn’t even talk, he had completely done her in.

  
“Only I get to taste you,” he said, placing his fingers that were coated with her wetness into his mouth.

  
She let out an almost inaudible moan as she watched him sensually suck his fingers clean of her juices.

  
“Do you know how much torture it was watching that fucker put his disgusting hands all over you tonight?” He asked gruffly, “Do you know how much it made my blood boil to see all those perverts staring at you while you practically strutted around naked?”

  
She remained silent, he didn’t expect her to answer, they were rhetorical questions anyway.

  
“You might’ve as well been wearing nothing for all that this is,” he said, holding the light material of her crop top in his fingers as he easily tore it apart, leaving her entire upper body bare.

  
She gasped in surprise and he held her chin in between his fingers, “I should fuck you until you can’t feel your legs for everything you put me through tonight...don’t you think so?”

  
She didn’t answer but he saw her legs squeeze together slightly, he wouldn’t have seen it if he wasn’t paying attention but he knew her, he knew what she liked.  
He smirked as he started to undo his belt and his pants buckle, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  
“I- I didn’t say yes,” she said quietly as he hitched her skirt up around her waist, lining himself up with her wet entrance.

  
“You didn’t have to say it,” he said as he thrust himself into her with one swift movement, pinning her between himself and the wall.

  
She moaned loudly as she muffled her voice by biting down on her lip so hard that he was sure she’d draw blood.  
He wasn’t planning on being slow or gentle or drawing the pleasure, he planned on fucking her hard and fast.  
His movements were surprisingly controlled as he moved in and out of her quickly, wrapping her legs around his.

  
“This isn’t going to be long,” he warned, speeding up even more.

  
She bent her head forward against his chest as she grasped for his hair, holding on for dear life. She was still trying to quiet herself and for the most part, she was succeeding. He didn’t want that. Tonight, he wanted to hear her, he wanted to hear all her sounds as he fucked her like no one else could.  
He withdrew, almost enough to completely pull out of her then he thrust right back in with full force.

  
She couldn’t help it then, she screamed loudly and it turned him on even more.

  
“Tell me who gets to fuck you like this,” he growled.

  
“You,” she cried desperately, “You, Barry, only you.”

  
“Tell me who gets to make you scream,” he grunted, increasing his speed and power as he began to lose control.

  
“You,” she answered softly in between pants, he could see she was getting close again, he could feel it in the way her walls gripped his cock.

  
“Tell me who gets to make you come twice in a row.”

  
“Y-You,” she gasped wildly, right on the verge of her release.

  
“Tell me who you belong to,” he ordered his voice trembling as he gave her everything he had in him, “Say the name.”

  
“Barry! Barry Allen!” She screamed as she fell over the edge for the second time.

  
It was the first time they’d actually came together, he quite preferred it that way.  
He held her weight again as she collapsed in his arms, he wasted no time in carrying her to bed, poor girl must have been exhausted, especially since he had stamina that couldn’t be matched. He, on the other hand, felt much better. There was no better way to blow off some steam.

  
She mumbled something against his shirt but he couldn’t quite understand it, he wasn’t even sure she knew she was saying anything.

  
“What’d you say, honey?” He asked.

  
“I love you,” she murmured drowsily, and he almost dropped her on the ground, “I love you so much, Barry Allen.”

  
Then she was out like a light before he could lay her on the bed. He, on the other hand, was totally shook. His heart was beating hard, his legs felt like jelly...she loved him. She had somewhat hinted about it a while back, but tonight she’d actually said the words. Iris West loved him.

 

 

He barely got any sleep all night, like the big nerd he was, all he could think about was Iris’ confession and, of course, teasing her about it when she woke up.  
He leaned over her sleeping frame and pressed several kisses to her neck and she began to stir immediately.

  
“Stop,” she complained whilst also giggling, “That tickles.”

  
“Hi.”

  
“Hi, handsome,” she replied, making him blush adorably.

  
“How are you this morning?”

  
“Delightfully sore, if you must know.”

  
“I wonder why,” he teased, grinning widely.

  
“Why indeed... how come you’re up so early?” She asked sleepily, yawning the question, “And why do you have that creepy smile on your face?”

  
“You don’t remember?” He asked mischievously, purposefully keeping her in the dark.

  
“Remember what...?”

  
“My god...you don’t remember.”

  
“Well, if you tell me what it is maybe I will remember.”

  
“....You love me.”

  
“Barry Allen, what on earth gave you that ridiculous notion?” She asked sarcastically.

  
“I- wait, you’re not reacting like I expected...”

  
“Of course I love you, Barry,” she gushed, practically jumping on him, “I’ve had more than enough time to fall in love with you and I absolutely am.”

  
He grinned dopily because he was Barry and she was Iris and she always turned him into a blushing fool.

  
“I wasn’t even sure you knew that you said it last night, or if you meant it.”

  
“Wait, what?” She asked, “Last night?”

  
“Oh...I thought you...knew?”

  
“No!” She said in horror, “Oh my god, I told you I loved you in my sleep? That’s so not how this was supposed to go.”

  
“How was it supposed to go?” He asked in confusion.

  
“I was supposed to hold off on saying it until you caved and said it first.”

  
“Seriously?”

  
“Yeah...I mean, it’s just nicer when the guy says it first.”

  
“...Seriously?”

  
She shrugged shyly and Barry rolled his eyes in annoyance.

  
“I can’t believe you, Iris.”

  
“Did you really feel like something like this was above me?” She said flatly, “If you don’t know by now, I can be pretty petty when I want to be.”

  
“You’re just...damn lucky that I love you too.”

  
“How could you not?” She said lovingly as she grinned widely and Barry couldn’t help but smile with her. He was so in love with her, it wasn’t even funny. He couldn’t help himself, he swooped her off the bed and spin her around while she squealed in glee.

  
“I can’t believe it took all that kinky shit for you to finally say it... I should give you punishment sex more often,” he joked.

  
“Oh, is that what that was?” She said laughingly before leaning in to kiss him, “I quite enjoyed it...”

 

 

 

“Someone’s hungry,” Iris mentioned laughingly as Barry greedily devoured the food on his plate. They were both in the kitchen at who knew what time in the morning getting something to eat.

  
“After that workout, I’m famished.”

  
“So I see...”

  
“If we ever start living together, you’re gonna have to be feeding me constantly.”

  
“I basically do that already, Bar, and besides, the only reason I keep coming here is because you’d be an absolute mess without me, and chew, please.”

  
“I thought it was for the dick,” he joked and she just about choked on her drink.

  
“You are so rude,” she said in amusement.

  
“You love it,” he reminded her with a wink she rolled her eyes defiantly.

  
“Since we’re on the topic, though, would you like to stop coming here...” he began and she shot him a confused look, “And start staying here?”

  
“Oh, I- um...” she stammered and now he was starting to wonder if he was being too forward, “You’re asking me to move in with you?”

  
“Uh, you don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” he said quickly.

  
“No, I- I do...I just thought that...I thought I already did?”

  
“Really?”

  
“Yeah, I mean, I spend every night here into the morning, basically, so...”

  
“That’s true, but all of your clothes are still over at your dad’s and us going over there every morning to get them before we go to work is a little...”

  
“Tedious, yeah, I know...” she said softly, “And you don’t think that us moving in together is moving too fast?”

  
“I have absolutely no problem with moving fast, Iris, obviously.”

  
She laughed quietly to herself as she realized his little quip, “Forgot who I was talking to for a second...okay, I’ll do it. I’ll move in with you, Barry.”

  
“Are you sure?” He said a little too excitedly, “This is a big step and I don’t wanna seem like I’m pushing you into doing anything.”

  
“Like you could.”

  
“Forgot who I was talking to for a second,” he said, grinning boyishly, “Also, while I’m on this lucky streak, I was thinking when you get back this evening, maybe we could go on date.”

  
“A date?” She asked in amusement, “Is this in light of our newfound love for each other?”

  
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it newfound, I mean, we both know you’ve been madly in love with me since the first night we met.”

  
“Cute, but I think we both know it was the other way around, I just wanted to get into your pants.”

  
“I feel so violated,” he said in mock disgust and Iris burst out laughing.

  
“But, anyway, about tonight, the answer is yes, I would love to go on a date with you.”

  
“Wow, I’m on a roll this morning.”

  
She smiled and flirtatiously and bit her lip before giving him a chaste kiss, “7:00 pm, tonight? Don’t keep me waiting.”

  
“No, ma’am...” he trailed off, watching her hips seductively sway as she walked away.

 

 

 

It was happening again. He couldn’t fathom looking at the clock anymore because it felt like time just wasn’t moving. At all. Being a speedster, he’d found that many of his days passed quite slowly in comparison to everyone else’s, but it was something he learned to deal with. Even so, there was something about that today that just seemed to drag along way more slowly than usual. No doubt he was just over excited about his date with Iris. Tonight was the night he was determined not to let anyone or anything put him in a bad mood; tonight was just about him and Iris.

  
“Waiting on something, Allen?”   
Barry jumped in surprise, clumsily knocking over some stationery on his desk.

  
“Captain Singh, sorry about that,” he said cooly, “Yeah, I have a date in about an hour and I guess I’m just a little...excited.”

  
“Right, right, I heard about you and West’s daughter, congratulations.”

  
Barry didn’t even want to know how he knew about that.

  
“Thank you, sir.”

  
“I remember my dating days, one of the best times of your life...you should leave, go get ready.”

  
“But, sir, it’s only 3:00.”

  
“I’m sure we can survive for an hour without Barry Allen without the whole building going up in flames.”

  
“Thank you, sir,” Barry said in surprise, quickly gathering up his belongings and heading out the door.

 

 

 

“You’re waiting pretty patiently over there,” commented an old man sitting across from the table.

  
He was sitting at a table for two at this fancy Italian restaurant with a name that he probably couldn’t pronounce even he tried real hard. He’d really gone out of his way, he even wore a suit, and he really hated suits, almost as much as he hated tuxes. The place was a little too much for his taste but he knew that Iris would absolutely love it.

He felt like he was in high school again  going on his first date, it was crazy what this girl could do Speaking of Iris, where was she? He knew it was normal for a woman to be late, especially Iris, since she loved going all out, but he couldn’t help but worry a bit, it had been over an hour. Still, he didn’t want to hassle her, she’d probably call soon.

  
“Oh, um, I guess I am.”

  
“Wife?”

  
“Hopefully soon,” he said, blushing like a big nerd.

  
“So, fiancée then?”

  
“Um, not...no, we’re not engaged either.”

  
“Well, what are you waiting for?”

  
Barry was about to respond when he realized that he couldn’t. He couldn’t say anything to that because, honestly, what was he waiting for? It might have seemed a little quick seeing as how that hadn’t known each other very long but he, for one, felt like- no, he _knew_ that were meant to be together. Nothing in the world could convince him otherwise.

  
_Buzz. Buzz._

  
“That’s her,” Barry remarked, beckoning to his phone, to which the man simply responded with a thumbs up.

  
“Thank god,” Barry said in relief as he answered the call, “I was this close to sending out a search and rescue team to find you, I was getting worried that you-“

  
“ _I can’t make it tonight_ ,” she said stiffly.

  
“You can’t make it?” He asked in confusion, “What happened?”

  
“ _Nothing, I just can’t do it tonight_.”

  
She sounded strange, his radar went off right away.

  
“Iris, I’m sitting at this restaurant in this really uncomfortable and expensive suit that I wore just for you...and you’re telling me that you’re bailing? You’re not even going to give me a reason?”

  
She didn’t respond. Something was definitely wrong.

  
“Are you in trouble?”

  
“ _No._ ”

  
“Did I...do something wrong or do something to upset you?”

  
“ _No, Barry, I just need a little space right now, please understand. I have to go._ ”

  
“No, Iris, wa-“

  
Too late. She’d already hung up.

  
He got up from his chair immediately and started dialing a number as he left the restaurant.

  
“Enjoy your night,” he told the old man who only waved politely and smiled, “And thank you.”

  
“Cisco, I need your help, Iris is in trouble.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait, babes  
> Here’s another one for you all, hopefully I get back in the groove of doing quick chapters again when my time frees up.  
> xo


	18. Necessary Evils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry goes on the hunt to find a missing Iris while Team Flash makes a breakthrough in the Ice Killer case.

“Cisco, tell me you got something,” Barry asked, arriving at S.T.A.R. Labs immediately, hanging up the phone as he did.

  
“Got something?” Cisco asked in disbelief, putting down a box of Chinese food he was eating, “I barely had a chance to get off my own ass, you literally called me like one second ago!”

  
“Cisco, this is serious, something’s wrong, I know it...I think...I think maybe he has her.”

  
“Okay, I know you’re worried but we’re not all speedsters, okay? Now calm down and tell me exactly what happened.”

  
Barry sighed, getting more impatient by the second, “We were supposed to have a date tonight and she called me and said that she couldn’t make it anymore.”

  
Cisco stared at him blankly.

  
“What?”

  
“Nothing...I’ll see what I can do.”

  
“Thank you,” Barry said, letting out a relieved sigh, “I’m sorry for being so snappy.”

  
“No harm, no foul,” Cisco said distractedly, a slow frown forming on his face.

  
“What’s that face? Are you getting something?”

  
“Nada, actually,” Cisco answered, seemingly shocked my his inability to solve a technical issue, “I tried tracking her location from the phone number she called you from but it’s like someone or something is blocking me out and scrambling the signal.”

  
“Someone’s hacking you? Can’t you hack them back?”

  
“I-I can’t,” Cisco admitted, clacking against the keyboard fiercely, “This guy’s good...or girl...if this is Felicity that would explain so much...and also nothing at all...”

  
“So basically, you have nothing.”

  
“I don’t see you coming up with a better plan...look, this is probably a real stupid question but, have you tried, I don’t know...calling her back?”

  
“Of course I have, she won’t pick up.”

  
“Are you...sure she’s in trouble? I mean, maybe she just ate some bad sushi or something, happens to the best of us.”

  
“You think I’m paranoid.”

  
“No, I don’t think that, I just think that maybe you might be reading into that phone call a little too much. Girls change their minds, at an alarming rate, I might add. I tell you, the things I could tell you about me and Gypsy, you would not-“

  
“So you’re not going to help me find her? That’s it?”

  
“I didn’t say that.”

  
“You don’t exactly seem gung-ho about it either.”

  
“Look, I’m just saying that maybe you need to consider the possibility that-“

  
“It’s fine, I don’t need you, I’ll just beat the shit out of someone until I do.”

  
“Barry, wait-“

  
Too slow. He was already long gone, and he wasn’t fucking around.

 

 

  
“You have one chance and one chance alone,” Barry ordered, his voice vibrating and his hand locked tightly around a man’s throat, “Where is she?”

  
He had been hunting the Ice Killer’s goons at various hotspots in the city for the better part of the night, one of them had to know something. This was the third dirtbag he had held up for the night and he still hadn’t gotten jack shit. He was beginning to lose his patience and his resolve.

  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

  
Barry tracked backwards until the man’s back was up against a wall and he tightened his grip till the man struggled frantically for breath.

  
“Looks to me like you’re running out of breath to lie to me, I’d start talking if I were you.”

  
“I can’t...he’ll kill me...”

  
“I think you should be more worried about me right now,” Barry growled menacingly, he could feel himself losing control quickly. He had never felt like this before, rage, pure and unadulterated. He felt as though he could actually kill this man.

  
The man gagged and frantically tried to remove his hand but he didn’t budge, not even a little.

  
“You can’t...kill me...you’re supposed to be...one of the good guys...”

  
“I am, but not when the woman I love is in danger.”

  
“Please, I cant...breathe...I...”

  
“I am going to find out what I want to know, even if I don’t need you to do it.”

  
“Please...” the man managed to get out before seemingly passing out. He was close to death, Barry could see it, and he didn’t care.

  
Before that could happen, he was struck in the arm by something, something sharp and quick.

  
He recoiled in pain, involuntarily releasing the thug as he looked up to the roof where the object came from but whoever or whatever it was was already gone. Looking at the impaled object in his hand, however, he didn’t need to know who it was anymore- it was an arrow, a green one.

  
“Oliver?” He breathed in confusion. He had so many questions but the sound of a gun cocking to his head changed his thoughts.

  
“Any last words?” A man’s voice uttered from behind him and he almost laughed. Almost.

  
He reversed their roles before the man even knew what the hell had happened, he had him restrained against the wall, a rough hand against his chest.

  
“Where is she? I’m not going to ask you twice so try not to fucking lie to me.”

  
The man chuckled condescendingly, “You think you’re so big and bad don’t you, Flash?”

  
“If the shoe fits, and trust me, it does.”

  
“He’s gonna have you begging on your knees before the end...trust me, he’ll break you.”

  
“I don’t need you feeding me bullshit propaganda, tell me what I want to know.”

  
“Sure, I’ll tell ya...doesn’t matter much anyway, cause she’s already dead.”

  
“Bullshit.” He said flatly, trying to remain devoid of the emotion that threatened to erupt from his body, “You’re lying.”

  
“And what benefit would that have for me?”

  
“Try to get a rise out of me.”

  
“Nah, I got better things to do, but if you don’t believe me, go see for yourself. The old lighthouse on the edge of town.”

  
He didn’t wait for a reply, he just sped straight over to his destination. It was safe to say that caution was already out the window, he just needed to find Iris, she was all that mattered right now.

 

 

 

He ran to the old lighthouse faster than he’d ever ran in his life, he was sure of that, Pure adrenaline was coursing through his veins. He knew what he expected to find but there was still the possibility that he was too late, not fast enough.

  
“Iris?!” He yelled desperately, over and over again with no response. A part of him was glad that there no answer because that probably only meant she wasn’t even here and that she was safe and sound somewhere and he was just freaking out unnecessarily, on the word of some thug. On the other hand...he didn’t even want to think about that possibility.

  
He was just about to continue searching the ground level when he heard a soft groan from above where the light was coming from. The sound was barely audible but he heard it, mostly because he was desperate to hear it, to hear her voice, to know that she was safe.

  
“Iris?” He responded, and the sound echoed to the top of the structure, “I’m coming, hold on!”

  
He sped up the stairs to meet her tiny frame laying on the cold floor, trembling violently.

  
“B-Barry?” She called shakily, “You’re here?”

  
“I’m here,” he assured her, his voice also trembling but not because of the coldness, just the raw emotion of seeing her knowing that she was alive, “I’m sorry, I’m here.”

  
She chuckled softly, trying to force each breath out without trembling as tremors wracked her body, “W-why are you sorry? I-I’m the one who was l-late for date night.”

  
“Iris, shut up,” he pled as he scooped her up in his arms, using his vibrating to give her some body heat.

  
She sighed in relief as she relished the feeling, “This is r-really welcome right now.”

  
“Did they hurt you?”

  
“No, I’m- I’m fine.”

  
“Did they...” he trailed off as he stared at her bare shoulder and exposed bra strap, not even wanting to contemplate the thought, “Did they put their hands on you?”

  
“N-no, they didn’t d-do anything...I’m okay, Barry, I- I promise. I’m safe, you saved me.”

  
He knew that he did and he could see that she was physically okay but he still didn’t believe it, like he was in some sort of shock or something.

  
“Barry, hey,” she said softly, taking his face into her hands to focus his gaze on her, “Y-You saved me, okay? I’m here, I’m okay.”

  
“Yeah,” he whispered, closing his eyes and wrapping his hand around hers.

  
“I’m also f-freezing.”

  
“Right, sorry,” he apologized sincerely even though he was sure she was pulling on his legs a bit, “Come on, let’s get you back to S.T.A.R Labs.”

 

 

 

“Well, aside from a couple of bruises, a sprained arm and a nasty concussion, she should be just fine,” Caitlin said as she finished wrapping the sling on Iris’ arm.

  
Barry released a relieved breath that he had been holding for a while now, he’d realized. She was okay.

  
“Thank you, Caitlin,” Barry said, smiling warily.

  
“Of course, she just needs to rest.”

  
Barry nodded his understanding to Caitlin as she left the room and took that as his cue to leave Iris alone for a while, though he found the thought of leaving her alone ever again extremely difficult.

  
The room turned silent as Caitlin exited as they both just stared at each other.

  
“Barry-“ Iris began, but he cut her off.

  
“I thought I’d lost you, Iris...I felt so helpless.”

  
“Can’t get rid of me that easily, Barry Allen,” she said teasingly but there was a sadness in her eyes.

  
“Iris, what happened to you?” He asked outright, “Whatever happened, you know you can talk to me.”

  
“Don’t start thinking worst case scenario, Barry, you know that’s your specialty.”

  
“I don’t want to, but...these bruises...”

  
“...Are just minor, what happened to me was nothing that I couldn’t handle.”

  
“You’re not as tough as you think, you know.”

  
She scoffed in mock outrage, “I beg to differ.”

  
“You’ll have to excuse me if I’m not exactly in a joking mood, Iris.”

  
“Excused...” She said understandingly as she averted her eyes to his arm, “Your arm, you’re hurt...”

  
“Flesh wound, it’ll heal soon,” he said, shrugging it off, now was probably not the best time to explain that one of his good friends who was actually a hooded vigilante shot him in the arm with an arrow.

“You’re really not going to tell me how you got it?”

“You’re really not going to tell me how you got these bruises?”

She sighed heavily and he waited expectantly, if she was going to be difficult so was he.

”I thought so.”

”Don’t be upset with me, Bar, I just don’t really want to talk about it right now... I want to enjoy this, being back with you in this moment...can we please just enjoy this?”

”Yeah,” he acquiesced quietly, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, “Sure, I’m sorry.”

“There’s something in your eyes...” she said, eyes focused intensely on his, “Something I can’t quite figure out yet...”

  
“...I saw another side of myself tonight...for the first time, it was Ike I had no control over anything...I was ready to kill...” he growled fiercely, suddenly becoming enraged, “Just to find you, anyone and everyone.”

  
“Barry, that’s not who you are,” she stated firmly, “Don’t ever put yourself in that kind of position, not even for me.”

  
“He was right...”

  
“Who was?”

  
“The creep that did this, he said that you were my weakness and he was right. No matter what happens, I’m always going to choose you, always, I become someone I’m not when it comes to you and your safety.”

  
“Don’t worry,” she said softly, caressing his cheek, erasing his frown, “You won’t ever lose yourself, I’ll never let that happen.”

  
“So you’re both my damnation and my saving grace,” he joked though he smiled sadly, “A bit contradictory.”

  
“A bit,” she agreed, kissing his forehead lightly, “You should get some rest, I know you’re exhausted.”

  
“Okay,” He acquiesced with a heavy sigh, “I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.”

  
“I’ll be right here.”

  
“...I love you, Iris,” he said in a shaky voice, though he meant entirely to utter the words.

  
“I love you too, Barry,” she said lovingly, though her smile was wary, “So much.”

 

 

 

  
“Cisco, don’t care what you do, I don’t care how you do it, find this asshole,” Barry ordered, his patience was more than gone.

  
“Trust me, if we were in a position to do that, we would’ve.”

  
“It’s been weeks, and you’re telling me we can’t get one goddamn lead? Not one?”

  
“Hey now, there’s no need to get snappy, we’re doing everything we can.”

  
“Well, it’s not enough!” He yelled as he pounded the desk with his fist, making all the contents shake, “Iris could have died tonight, and we’re here playing games!”

  
“Barry, calm down...” Caitlin pleaded but he wouldn’t hear it.

  
“You too, Caitlin?” He asked accusingly, “You saw what happened to Iris, I have every right to be concerned, I have every right to be mad.”

  
“You’re right, you’re right,” she answered calmly, trying to pacify him, “And I agree that what happened to Iris should never have happened...but I think I have a way to get answers.”

  
“What do you mean?” Cisco asked in suspicion, “And why do I not know about it?”

  
“It’s something I was working on by myself...the machine that we used to find Iris’ dad...”

  
“...You want to use it to find out who the Ice Killer is.”

  
“If I can concentrate hard enough, maybe I can go back to a memory where I find out his identity, if such a memory exists.”

  
“That’ll take a lot of concentration and it could take you to a pretty dark place, Cait,” Barry warned, “Are you sure you want to attempt this?”

  
“I think it’s our only option, you’re right, this has been going on for far too long.”

  
“Alright,” Cisco agreed hesitantly, “Let’s do it.”

  
Barry nodded, “Let’s get some answers, once and for all.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Babes...you guys, I’m sooo sorry for being gone, couldn’t be helped. Hope you guys haven’t forgotten about me just yet lol.  
> Here’s a new one for you guys for the while and I’m promising at least some answers next chapter lol, enjoy.  
> xo


	19. Mind of a Killer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Iris recovers, the team finds themselves on the edge of solving a big part of the mystery, but they may encounter another one all the same.
> 
> Warning: A big part of this chapter contains a memory scene from Caitlin/Killer Frost’s POV. Some may not be very fond of that but it’s for the sake of plot.

“Are you absolutely sure about this, Cait?” Barry asked once again for good measure. he didn’t want to be responsible for his best friend having some sort of mental breakdown, “I mean, I know I agreed to this but now I’m thinking it’s too dangerous.”

  
“I agree with Barry,” Cisco added, “We can find another way, messing around with the whole Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing might be pushing it a bit.”

  
“I agree too,” H.R chimed in as he entered the room coming from god knows where, “I have no idea what we’re talking about but I agree that you should definitely not do...it.”

  
“Guys, it’s okay, I want to do this,” Caitlin said calmly, ironic that she was the only one not freaking out about this.

  
“Okay...” Barry agreed, yet again, “But like, are you sure?”

  
“Barry, if you ask me one more time if I’m sure, that might just turn me into Killer Frost.”

  
“Right,” he mouthed timidly as Cisco adjusted the wires from the machine onto her head.

  
“Barry and I will be right here when you wake up, okay?” Cisco promised, holding her hand tightly.

  
“And anything happens, if your brain activity starts spiking to much, Cisco will pull you out immediately, okay?”

  
Caitlin nodded her understanding and lay down on the bed, shutting her eyes as the machine powered up.

  
“How do we know if it’s working?” H.R whispered, inserting himself between both Barry and Cisco.

  
“You know she’s not actually sleeping, right?” Barry asked flatly.

  
“That’s how we know,” Cisco stated, pointing to the monitor where Caitlin’s brain waves were fluctuating, “It’s working.”

  
“So now, we wait,” Barry sighed, holding Caitlin’s hand tightly, “And hope for the best.”

 

 

_Killer Frost’s memory POV_

 

  
_I_   _smile to myself as I walk the streets, good thing about Central City: there’s always something fun to do. Even as I walk, I can feel my other half within me, fighting to break through. I’ve always been stronger than her but I can feel her will growing every day, it’s irritating, to say the least._

  
_“Oh, stop whining, Caity...it’s not like that deadbeat was going to do something good with this diamond. In fact, if you think about it, I just did a good deed. Did I have to freeze hdim solid? No. Did I have to break him into itty bitty pieces afterwards? Also, no. It was fun though, I think I’m getting my groove back.”_

  
_“It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it?” A voice from the shadows says and I’m not in the mood._

_  
He emerges from the darkness and he’s dressed in all black, a hoodie over his head making it so that I can’t see his face, how generic._

_  
“Beat it, hood, I’m not looking for a groupie.”_

  
_“Good thing, then,” he said, his voice curving towards some sort of angle, “Because I was thinking more along the lines of a partnership.”_

_  
I scoff rudely, looking him up and down, no way I’d ever be seen with the likes of him._

  
_“Thanks, but no thanks, this city is crawling with freaks, I’m sure you’ll have better luck with someone else.”_

_  
“Caitlin,” he calls from behind me, and the voice almost sounds familiar but I can’t quite place it. I look over my shoulder, prepared in case he decides to try something._

_  
“How do you know my name?” I question._

_  
“From what I hear, you hate to be called that name...you go by Killer Frost now, right?”_

_  
He’s right, I hate the name Caitlin, but I responded, no doubt my squeamish alter ego showing herself again._

  
_“What do you want?” I ask gruffly, demanding an answer now, “Who are you?”_

_  
“I think the better question is who are you? Do you know?”_

_  
He’s trying to get under my skin, and it’s working. I feel myself becoming more Killer Frost, less Caitlin. If he doesn’t shut up I’ll turn him into a popsicle quicker than he even knows what hit him._

  
“You’re _making me angry, trust me, you_ _don’t want to do that.”_

_  
“I don’t? Because it seems like I do... but I think you’re right, you and me, we wouldn’t work as partners, because underneath all that cold I can see your true persona...a little girl scared of her own shadow.”_

_  
I lose control in that moment as I feel complete power emanating through my body and out through my hands. It’s only been a few minutes since I’ve killed anyone, but the feeling is always welcome._

  
“ _Should’ve listened to me, hood,” I quip, smiling as I turn on my heels to leave._

_  
No sooner do I take 2 steps than I hear the sound of clapping from behind me, not possible._

_  
“Impressive...Caity got an upgrade,” he says, his voice nearing me, “This will_ _do just fine.”_

  
“ _How are you still alive? Are you a meta human?”_

_  
“Not quite,” He replies with a smirk that implies that he knows something I don’t. Before I can say anything he puts a hand firmly around me wrist and I can feel his power radiating from off of him, and something else I haven’t felt in a long while, I feel...cold._

  
_“What the hell?” I blurt out as I yank my arm away roughly._

_  
“Feels strange, doesn’t it?”_

_  
“Oh...you’re the Ice Killer that everyone’s talking about...you’re becoming quite famous these days, though I must admit the get up is a bit of a let down.”_

_  
“Nice to have a fan.”_

_  
“Trust me, that’s not what I am.”_

_  
“Either way...I think you and I might have a future together...we are one in the same, after all.”_

_  
“We’re not, I kill when I want to get my way...and sometimes for fun, I don’t do it out of some sick fantasies I want to fulfill.”_

_  
“I know that’s how it may look, but there’s a method to my madness, there’s no murder that I’ve committed that didn’t have a purpose.”_

__  
I scoff again and make to leave, this guy has got more issues than I can handle.  
“You’ve got some serious issues to work out, I’m out.”

_  
“And what if I told you plans involve a certain superhero...The Flash?”_

_  
I stop again and curse myself for even entertaining this sicko any further._

_  
“What about the Flash?” I ask reluctantly_.

  
_“He and I have a...history, some years ago he did something that changed my life forever, I’d simply like to return the favor.”_

_  
“Sounds like you have a vendetta, and that, I want no part of.”_

_  
“I’ll make it worth your while,” he promises and I stop yet again._

_  
I groan frustratedly and march back towards him, “Sure about that? I have high demands.”_

_  
“I can give you this life, a life as Killer Frost...permanently.”_

_  
At first, I don’t believe a word he’s said but I’m desperate...Caitlin may be a wimp but she’s smart, and sooner rather than later, she’ll figure out a way to get rid of me for good._

_  
“And how exactly do you plan to do that?”_

_  
“I have powerful friends in high places, trust me.”_

  
_“How do I know you’re not bluffing?”_

_  
“You don’t, but I know a look of desperation when I see it...if you’re interested, follow me.”_

_  
“What do I get myself into?” I murmur quietly, following him, against my better judgement._

 

 

 

_  
He takes me to a building near the heart of the city, it’s old but I recognize it as an old construction company that went out of business some years back, it’s a wonder It was never torn down. When he takes me inside, it’s even worse than it looks, and the smell is the worst. The place is basically empty and I wonder what the hell he even does in here._

_  
“This is your base of operations?” I ask, unimpressed, “You know, if you’re trying to recruit me or whatever, you’re not doing such a hot job.”_

_  
“This is just one of many, a guy like me_ _can’t stay one place for long.”_

_  
“Kind of a dump, don’t you think?”_

_  
“Like I said...temporary.”_

_  
“What’s in the box?” I ask, drawing his attention to a crate stowed solely in the corner of the room._

_  
He hesitates to answer me at first but eventually does._

_  
“Drugs,” he replies simply._

  
_“That explains it,” I mutter under my breath, the guy is obviously a basket case._

_  
“I assure you, not the kind of drugs you’re thinking about.”_

  
_“If you say so.”_

  
_He stretches to turn on a light switch and as the sleeve of his hooded jacket rides up, I can see a blue liquid-like substance coursing through his veins, it doesn’t look normal nor does it look good._

_  
“What’s up with your arm?” I ask, reaching to pull his sleeve up and he all but recoils from my reach._

_  
“It’s not relevant.”_

_  
“You know, I’m not a doctor but I’m thinking you should probably get that looked at, it’s pretty gross.”_

  
_“Well, unless you’re planning on reverting to your less idiotic alter ego, I think it best if we just just drop the suggestion.”_

_  
“Whatever,” I snap, rolling my eyes...rude._

_  
He says nothing for a while and I hate awkward silence so I try to fill the gap._

_  
“You never told me what the Flash did to you that was so horrible,” I say casually, toying with one of the rusty bolts laying on the floor, “Did he kill your puppy or something?”_

_  
“It’s not relevant,” he insists and his voice holds such conviction that I almost leave it at that._

_  
“I think it is, after all if we’re going to be ‘partners’ I think I should at least know something about you...you know, to build trust or whatever...I hear that’s the proper thing to do.”_

  
“ _Nothing worth anything today was ever built on trust, sweetheart...but I can tell you’re desperate for answers and since I sincerely doubt you’re smart enough to figure it out otherwise...”_

_  
Before I can put in a comment to his insult he puts his hands to remove his hood and it’s...”_

 

 

_End of memory_

 

 

“Cait, Caitlin, it’s okay, you’re back, you’re fine,” Barry cooed, trying to calm Caitlin as she flew up from the bed, breathing heavily.

  
“God...” She panted, rubbing her temples in exhaustion.

  
“What is it? What’d you see?” Cisco pressed.

  
“Just...give me a minute,” she pleaded, “I need a minute.”

  
“Of course,” Barry agreed, “Take as much time as you need.

  
“I didn’t think about it before because of his powers but...”

  
“Think about what? Who did you see?” Barry asked desperately, they were right on the edge of it.

  
“It’s...Leonard Snart,” she said quietly.

  
“Wait, wait...come again?” Cisco said, rubbing his ears, “Snart as in cold gun shooting Snart? When did he turn into a homicidal psychopath?”

  
“He surely would’ve had a lot of free time...wasn’t he in Iron Heights for the past few years? How did he get out and how’d he get those powers?”

  
“He’s a metahuman now?”

  
“No, he said he wasn’t.”

  
“Ninety-nine percent sure that was a lie.”

  
“I don’t think it was...this is something else.”

  
“This doesn’t add up,” Barry stated, pacing the room, “Cait, are you sure you saw correctly?”

  
“I’m sure, it was him.”

  
“Who’s Leonard Snart?” Iris asked, emerging from the hallway, of course she heard that, “I feel like I’ve heard that name before....”

  
“Iris, you shouldn’t be on your feet right now,” Caitlin warned, rubbing her temples, she was obviously in pain.

  
“What were you guys doing?” Iris asked suspiciously, because they all three of them looked guilty as hell.

  
“Iris...” Barry said, maybe a bit too sternly, “You should be resting-“

  
“I have been,” she answered, tentatively cutting him off, “What’s wrong with Caitlin? And who is Leonard Snart? Barry, what’s going on?”

  
“I-I’ll explain everything a little later, Iris, I promise...I just need to clear my mind a bit, okay?”

  
“Okay...” she agreed hesitantly, “Well, you know where to find me if you need me.”

  
“I always need you,” he murmured, caressing her shoulders and she melted into his touch.

  
“As do I,” she whispered, falling into his gentle embrace and burying her face in his chest, his head atop hers.

  
Everything felt right again in that moment but he knew that the moment he let her go he would have to go back to reality again.

  
Both Caitlin and Cisco looked at him with grave looks on their faces, and Barry shook his head, silently signaling to them not to say anything about any of this to her. He didn’t want to keep things from her again but he had to, at least until he found out how deep this all went.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s another one for you babes, trying to get them out quick to make up for being AWOL lol  
> Hope you enjoy!  
> xo


	20. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry comes face to face with Oliver Queen, who tries to appeal to his better nature and Barry and Iris finally get some good news.

It was his lunch break and Barry decided to spend it drinking a coffee at Jitters. He’d always remember here as the place he and Iris met, the place that led him to the love of his life, it was a happy place for him.

  
Iris had been staying at S.T.A.R. Labs for the past few days since she got injured, just for caution. It was a hell of a lot better than staying at her place or even his place, at least until they got a better handle on things. He still hadn’t mentioned anything to her about what they found out about the Ice Killer and she hadn’t even asked. No doubt, she was only trying to respect his pace but he knew it was bothering her.

  
He berated himself for even going out to work today, his head wasn’t in the game which pretty much amounted to him just basically being a colossal waste of space. All he could think about was Iris, and Snart, that tape that Joe recorded and left behind and trying to make sense of it all.

  
“Hey, mind if I sit here?” A man said from behind, though he wasn’t really paying attention and it wasn’t like he had company.

  
“Yeah, sure, man,” he said distractedly, still not looking.

  
“Thanks.”

  
“No problem,” Barry said, still playing with the rim of his coffee cup.

  
“I’m your great aunt Ralph,” the man said and, what?

  
Barry looked up and if it wasn’t the illustrious mayor, Oliver Queen.

  
“I don’t have a great aunt Ralph,” he said flatly.

  
“I should hope not,” Oliver said, giving his version of a smile.

  
“What are you doing in Central City?” Barry asked, taking a casual sip of his coffee which he just realized already went cold, “Besides shooting me with arrows, that is? That’s the second time, if you realize.”

  
“I...have not been keeping count.”

  
“Of course not.”

  
“It was for your own good though.”

  
“It wasn’t what it looked like,” Barry said, pushing his coffee aside.

  
“It looked like you were going to kill that guy,” Oliver said sternly.

  
“You weren’t in the situation, you don’t know what happened.”

  
“I know that look that I saw in your eyes, it’s the same one-“

  
“Don’t lecture me, Oliver, please,” Barry groaned in frustration, “I don’t need that right now.”

  
Oliver sighed, probably trying to figure out a next way to get through to him.

  
“You’re upset, you’re angry...” Oliver said, matter-of-factly.

  
“And I was trying so hard not to show it.”

  
“...But you do not want to go down that road, Barry. Take it from someone who’s been there and back again, whatever your reasons are, they are not worth it.”

  
“She’s worth it,” he stated firmly.

  
“She?” Oliver said in surprise, his eyebrows peaking in curiosity as he sat back in his seat, “How long have I not been in Central City?”

  
“Since a little while after Felicity and I were almost...’Felicity and I’...” he said, trying to figure out how use that verbatim and not make it sound the same, “Speaking Of Felicity, how is she?”

  
“Don’t-don’t change the subject...who is this girl that’s stolen you heart and is now making you blush...?”

  
“I’m not blushing,” he said harshly, he totally was though.

  
“You are,” Oliver said laughingly, “Who is she?”

  
“Her name is Iris West, and if I were to try to describe to you how amazing she is, we would be sitting here all day.”

  
“Well, well,” Oliver mused, tapping the table, “I’m happy for you...and also, if she’s as amazing as you say she is, she would be telling you the same thing I am if she knew.”

  
“She did...and she does, I told her that I was the Flash.”

  
“Really?” Oliver said, leaning forward in a ‘tell me more’ fashion, “What did she say?”

  
“I have literally never seen you this interested in anything...ever.”

  
“What did she say?” He repeated in the exact same way.

  
“Nothing, she...didn’t care.”

  
“Well, she sounds like the perfect woman.”

  
“She is...she really is,” Barry said, smiling fondly to himself.

  
“I am sorry for shooting you,” Oliver confessed and Barry rolled his eyes, “But I am not sorry for saving you from a mistake that you would have regretted for the rest of your life. You’re not a killer, Barry, it’s just not who you are and don’t let anyone ever turn you into one.”

  
“You told me you once killed for Felicity.”

  
“That was...a decision that I made in the heat of the moment, and a decision that I would make again and again and again. I realize that I don’t really have any right in telling you what decisions to make since I’m obviously not the best role model, but don’t be the person that I want you to be...just be the person that she would want you to be, a person that she would be proud of...be her hero.”

  
Barry sighed deeply and thoughtfully, “That was a great speech.”

  
“Thank you, I’ve been working on it on my way here,” Oliver said and he seriously wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a joke or not.

  
“Thank you for the advice, and whether I like it or not, you are right most of the time, annoyingly so. I can see why Felicity thinks the world of you.”

  
Oliver nodded and gave a half smile, his way of showing appreciation, “She makes me so much better...I hope Iris does that for you.”

  
“I’d like for you to meet her,” Barry said, he just decided to throw it out there.

  
“I’d very much like that too...I’ll be here for the next few days, I have some business to attend to with the Mayor, I’d explain but it’s...really boring.”

  
“Understood,” Barry said, giving a small chuckle.

  
There was a bit of an awkward silence as the both stood up to leave, both of them not really sure what was the appropriate form of affection to show.

  
“Should we hug, or...do you want a hug?” Barry asked, regretting it immediately after.

  
“I do not want a hug, no.”

  
“Right.”

  
Oliver extended a hand to him...handshake, why didn’t he think of that?

  
“Just tell me when,” Oliver assured him, taking his leave.

  
It was about that time for him as well, he had to get back to work and count the hours till he got to see Iris again, like he did every day.

 

 

  
“Cisco,” Barry called, zooming in and causing a stack of papers on the desk to go flying.

  
“Okay, seriously, that whole ‘making it rain’ thing’ was fun the first few times, now it’s just getting annoying,” Cisco said frustratedly, gathering the papers one by one while Barry gathered up the rest all in less than a second.

  
“How’s Caitlin and Iris?”

”Caitlin is...I mean, I think she’s okay. She’s in the study doing some reading, she says it keeps her mind occupied. I’ve been working on a necklace for her, keep her powers under lock. It’s not quite there yet but, it’ll work for now. Iris is doing well, Caitlin said her arm is healing faster than expected...she was resting last I checked which was like 20 minutes ago.”

  
“That’s good,” Barry said in relief, “I know she’s probably going a little stir crazy in here.”

  
“I can relate, between having to look after her, Caitlin and H.R, I feel like Danny Tanner on an episode of ‘Full House’.

  
“What’s wrong with H.R?”

  
“What’s right with H.R?” Cisco all but yelled, “I always have to keep a eye on him to make sure he doesn’t blow up the lab or something.”

  
“Good luck, I’m gonna go check in on Iris.”

  
“Sure thing, Uncle Jesse,” Cisco replied after him, that was definitely a compliment.

  
He was literally dancing on his way to go see Iris, bad day or not, she definitely made it all better. Also, she’d probably do a backflip when he told her she was getting to meet Oliver Queen.

  
“Knock knock,” he said playfully, standing in the peak where the food stood ajar.

  
“Hey, babe,” she replied in a cheerful voice, “Come in.”

  
When he did go in, she’d just got done changing her clothes. She wore a pretty yet simple black thin strap dress with a square neck cut flair on the bottom that reached just a little above her knees and a black strapped sandals on her foot. Her hair was visibly not done, it just sort of fell down over her shoulder to one side, but boy, was she beautiful.

  
“Um...wow, y-you look stunning,” he said, already starting to fumble with his words. When would she stop having this effect in him?

  
“This old thing?” She said coyly, fully aware of her charm, “I love that you love it. I had H.R go over to my house and pick up a change of clothes for me this morning, didn’t want to disturb you.”

  
“Oh...okay.”

  
“Though he apparently had no idea what a cardigan was,” she said, holding up a blue and gray plaid scarf, “So this will have to do.”

  
“Well, what’s the occasion?”

  
“It’s my dad...”

  
Barry felt his heart skip a beat, he couldn’t handle any more bad news, not now.

  
“Iris...”

  
“He’s awake,” she uttered gleefully and all but jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly as her feet dangled off the floor, “Aaand I think I just sprained my arm all over again but I don’t care.”

  
“Just normal behavior for you,” he joked, he couldn’t even be mad at her right now.

  
“I can’t wait to see him, Barry,” she remarked, kissing him repeatedly as she dangled in his arms, “You know when you hold me like this we’re just about the same height.”

  
“I prefer you below me,” he said mischievously, giving her a wink, “And yes, I am completely aware of how that sounded.”

  
“Naughty,” she giggled as he put her down slowly, “Think we can sneak out of here without Cisco noticing? Ever since I’ve been staying here he’s been in like full-on dad mode.”

  
Barry chuckled at the thought of that, “Trust me, he’ll never know.”

 

 

 

They were sitting in the waiting room of the hospital yet again, except this time it was good news. He was excited to see Joe in good health again, Iris, on the other hand, was probably too excited.

  
“Iris, would you please stop fidgeting?” He begged, resting a firm hand on her thigh to still her, “Please?”

  
“I’m sorry, I’m just excited...why is this taking so long?”

  
“Well, we’ve been here approximately four minutes and twenty nine seconds so, probably could stand to hold out a little longer.”

  
She groaned impatiently and folded her arms tightly, she was so cute when she was cranky.

  
“Iris...West?” A doctor called and they both flew up immediately.

  
“Right here,” Iris breathed as she made her way to the doctor, he couldn’t even keep up with her.

  
“Right this way,” the woman said as they both followed her down the hall to the room, hand in hand, “He does need to get some more rest but seeing as how he’s you father and all, I think I can give you about a fair twenty minutes.”

  
“Thank you so much, doctor,” Barry expressed, “Really, it means a lot.”

  
The woman nodded and left them as they entered the room.

  
No sooner had they entered the room than Iris literally yanked her hand from his and sped over to Joe.

  
“Daddy!” She squealed as she gave him a bear hug.

  
“My baby girl,” he groaned as he put his arms weakly around her.

  
She gasped suddenly and pulled away, “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

  
“It doesn’t even matter, baby, come on back in.”

  
Barry couldn’t help but smile at how happy they both were, even if it was like he didn’t exist anymore.

  
“Barry, how does it feel to be the number two man in Iris’ life again?” Joe joked and Iris rolled her eyes.

  
“It feels really good actually,” Barry said laughingly, leaning over to give Joe a hug also, “Its really good to have you back, Joe.”

  
It’s good to be back, Bar, seriously.”

  
“How are you feeling, dad?” Iris asked. 

  
“Probably as good as I’m gonna feel for a long while...Iris, what happened to your arm?”

  
“Oh, um, it’s nothing.”

  
“Don’t give me that, Iris.”

  
“Collateral damage. Trust me, it’s not a big deal.”

  
“I fall into a coma for about two weeks and you’re already breaking body parts.”

  
“It’s a sprain, and it’s fine, dad, really.” 

  
Joe sighed warily, “We’re gonna talk about it later.”

  
“Fine,” she agreed, smiling, “I’m just glad you’re still around to lecture me. We can talk about anything and everything you want, dad.”

  
“That sounds wonderful, baby, but actually, can I talk to Barry alone for a little while?”

  
“Oh...” she replied, “Um, okay...I’ll just be over at the coffee machine, then. Barry, can I get you one?”

  
“Yeah, babe, thank you.”

  
“Okay,” She said softly, “I’ll be right back.”

  
“How long did the doctor give you guys in here?” Joe asked, looking out the door to make sure no one was eavesdropping on them.

  
“Twenty minutes, although I think we’ve already used about five of those.”

  
“Pull in the door then,” Joe ordered, sitting up as he moved his bed upright, “I think it’s time I told you the truth.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m on a roll, babes! Lol  
> Here’s another, I’m honestly trying to see the end of this story and it seems as though it will never end lol  
> Enjoy!  
> xo

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure what's happening with this story but, hope you guys like! :)


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